It's all for you
by sidle77
Summary: Set very shortly after 13x15 Forget Me Not. Grissom wants to work things out but things go so very, very wrong when a certain stalker is released. Very dark – be warned!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **It's all for you

**Author:** sidle77

**Pairing:** GSR – Always!

**Rating:** T-M (Rating will be adapted accordingly, look out for author's notes. Rating for violence, language and maybe smut, lol)

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill: I do not own them, any of them and I will give back once I've finished playing, yada yada... CBS owns all (but not my idea!)

**Summary:** Set very shortly after 13x15 Forget Me Not. Grissom wants to work things out but things go so very, very wrong when a certain stalker is released. Very dark – be warned!

**A/N:** I didn't ever actually think I'd be writing a fic about 13x15 after watching it but once I actually calmed down, my brain went into overdrive. And Evil Hat decided he loved the concept. So time to play. Mawahahaa! Get ready!

**Prologue:**

DB pulled his car to an abrupt stop right outside the arrivals door.

Sara jumped free from the car before he'd even had chance to pull his keys from the ignition. His head sprang to the open door. "Sara, wait!" he hollered, unclipping his belt and hurriedly following.

She didn't listen and was through the automatic door leading to the arrivals lounge before he'd even exited his vehicle.

Stopping underneath the multiple large arrivals screens, Sara's eyes scanned for her husband's flight.

"Sara, you need to calm down," DB said breathlessly, appearing behind her. She only gave him a very quick glance before returning her attention to the screens. She anxiously tapped her foot upon the laminate beneath her feet.

"I can't see his flight," she whimpered. "It should be up."

DB took her arm. "How about we go ask?"

Quickly nodding, she moved across the busy area towards the information desk. She sighed seeing the line. Taking it upon herself to jump queue she ducked under the rope and went straight to the desk.

People glared at her but averted their gazes when she pulled out her ID. "I need some information," she said with urgency.

The woman behind the desk looked over her ID carefully and then over Sara and DB in turn. She nodded. "What can I help you with?"

Sara waved at the screens. "The _2:30_ from Peru, I can't see it's ETA. Is it still due in at _2:30_?"

The clerk tapped at her PC and then looked up. "That flight was cancelled."

"What?" Sara asked, frowning.

"The flight was cancelled, Ma'am..." She continued to hit buttons on her keyboard. "...most passengers took the earlier flight; it arrived...an hour ago."

Sara's breathing quickened and she looked at her watch. "An hour ago?" she just about shouted.

DB placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. He pointed to the computer. "Can you check and see if a, _Gil Grissom,_ was aboard the earlier flight please?"

The clerk nodded again, hitting numerous keys. "Erm...yes, he was. He disembarked like everyone else."

"Oh, God..." Sara stepped back, looking around. It felt as if she was caught in the centre of a tornado as her eyes sprang absolutely everywhere even though she knew if he'd landed an hour ago, he wouldn't still be there. "Why didn't he tell me he was getting in earlier?"

DB took her arm and led her off and out of the crowd. "Maybe he just wanted to surprise you. He's probably just waiting for you at home."

Looking her supervisor dead in the eye, Sara gritted her teeth. "Then why isn't he answering his phone?"

"I don't know," he sighed.

Suddenly Sara's cell rang and she plucked it from her pocket. A look of relief washed over her face when she saw Grissom on the caller ID.

"It's him?" DB asked, noting her change of expression.

Sara nodded, placing the phone at her ear. "Gil?"

No response.

"Gil?" she asked again, more firmly, her nerves pinching. She frowned and DB noticed, drawing closer to her.

"S...Sara..."

Sara's eyes widened at the weak, pained voice that came back at her even if it was her husband's. She shot her eyes to DB and they both knew something wasn't right. Quickly he whipped a tape recorder from his pocket, hit record and held it against the phone.

"Gil...talk to me...what's going on?" she pleaded.

Her heart sank as a cry of pain from him echoed down the phone. "No..." he managed to say before a loud crack forced Sara to pull the phone from her ear for a moment. She quickly replaced the device by her ear. Panic flooded through her. "Gil!" she shouted now.

Then a voice came. A voice she didn't know. It was computer like and most definitely the real voice was being concealed by some form of device. "This is all for you," the voice said.

"What the hell do you want?" she growled.

The voice laughed. "For you to suffer of course...listen..."

DB squared closer into her, trying to listen as well as offer support.

Sara could do nothing but listen and she heard a faint groan which she knew came from Grissom. Then she heard his panic and a whimper fell from her lips as she could do nothing about his plea.

"No...no...no...please..." he cried.

All was silent and then suddenly, the sound of metal on metal and the most gut wrenching scream from the man she loved boomed down the phone.

"Oh my, God..." she wept, her pulse off the chart, her eyes filling with tears.

The voice laughed again. "This is going to be so much fun..."

The phone went dead.

**A/N: Ooooh... So? More? Inspiration comes in the strangest forms, LOL! **


	2. Let's work this out

**A/N: I think this is possibly the fastest I have written a chapter on a story for months. Ha! I guess the inspiration is still flowing. I just hope it stays. Evil hat is loving it!**

**I would like to thank you all for your reviews. I didn't expect such a massive reaction, especially after what happened in the episode so I thank each and every one of you for giving me your time and your input. I have had a few reviews I can't reply to because you are either not logged in or have private messaging disabled. Please remember if you want a reply you must be signed in and not have a block on for replying. (BTW I have no idea what SAG or the SAG club is so...No, I don't believe I am a part of it – feel free to explain...)**

**Thanks to SSC for the fastest beta in history, I guess I am happy that not much had to be tangled with.**

**So, with Mr Evil Hat firmly on my head, we will get on with the show.**

**Happy reading :D **

Chapter 1

Sara groaned, hearing her cell ringing. It was her night off and she'd struggled enough to get to sleep as it was. She didn't appreciate the early wakeup call or as it was almost midnight, the late wake up call.

She presumed it was work; no one else would be calling her.

Her slender frame lay atop of the bed sheets, donned in a silk black nightgown, her head stuffed into one of two pillows. With another grumble she rolled over and blindly fished for the annoying appliance.

She grabbed it between two fingers, and held it to her ear without even checking who the caller was.

"Hello," she sighed sleepily, her eyes still closed.

"Hi..." The familiar but unexpected voice came, startling her.

Now Sara's eyes shot open and she abruptly sprang upright. She looked at her bedside clock, noting the time but then returned her attention, even if somewhat surprised, to her call.

"Um...hi," she replied, her heart missing a beat or two.

"Am I..." Grissom continued, "...calling at a bad time?"

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Sara rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "Erm...no...I...I was...just taking a nap." She faked a laugh. "Night off..."

There was silence for a moment. "I'm sorry if I woke you," he apologised.

Sara's body slumped a little. "It's fine," she said quietly, now running her hand over the back of her neck.

"Are you okay to talk?"

Now Sara's eyes narrowed as she flicked on her bedside light, blinking as she attempted to become accustomed to the brightness. She tried to remember the last time they had talked.

It had been a few weeks since they communicated via anything but a text and since everything that had happened with Basderic, a mere week before, she wasn't exactly sure what she was comfortable in talking about.

After all, she hadn't told Grissom about it.

"I guess," she said with uncertainty, clenching the cell just a little tighter.

"How have you been?"

Closing her eyes, Sara attempted to shift the heavy lump which was growing in her throat. "Fine," she lied and her voice portrayed how she felt.

He sighed, he knew she was lying and she knew he knew.

"You?" she just about squeaked out.

"I've been better," he said honestly.

"Oh..." Sara mumbled. She wanted to question his answer but she just couldn't seem to find the words.

There was another pause. "Yeah..." he continued which surprised her, "...spent a lot of time these past few weeks looking at these papers. They still await a signature..."

With her eyes widening, Sara stood. "Are you talking about..."

"Yes," he cut her short.

"You haven't signed them?" On shakily legs she walked from the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

Another pause came and as she flicked on the light to the kitchen he answered.

"No."

She reached for a glass and placed it on the counter top before turning to lean against it. "Why?"

"Because I don't want to...Do you want me to?"

Biting down heavily on her bottom lip, Sara fought back the pang of tears that burned her eyes. "I never wanted..._any of this_..."

"Then let's work _this_ out," he said quickly.

Her eyes popped open. "Do you really mean that? she questioned, unsure. They rarely had this kind of conversation in person, let alone on the phone.

"I do," he responded sincerely. "I'm waiting to go to the airport. I have a flight that leaves in three hours. Should get to Vegas about... _2:30_ tomorrow afternoon."

Now her head shook a little in disbelief, her thumb toying with her wedding band. "_What_? Are you serious? You're coming here _tomorrow_?"

"If...that's alright with you? We...I..." he fumbled with his words, "I...think it's time we were honest with each other. We've both said some things that...I'll definitely admit... I have..." he sighed again, "...and I don't want to throw...throw everything away...especially over the phone...I...I..." A long pause came now... "I really don't want to lose you, Sara."

A small sob caught in Sara's throat now. "I don't want to lose you either," she whispered. Yet her mind feared the honest part of the conversation.

"So...I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.

A small smile passed over Sara's lips. "You will. I'll try and switch shifts so we have some time."

"Good idea."

"Yeah."  
"Tomorrow then?"

Unseen to her husband, Sara nodded. "Tomorrow..."

"Night, Sara...I..."

Sara's smile grew. The times he actually spoke those words were very far between. "Me too..."

"Bye."

"Goodnight," Sara finished on, closing her phone once he'd disconnected.

With a heavy sigh, she leaned back against the counter and stared into nothing. She wasn't entirely sure if that conversation had just taken place or if she was just dreaming.

Picking up the empty glass she walked to the sink and turned on the cold tap. Filling the glass with water she quickly drank the contents, quenching her thirst and dry throat. She turned but a little too quickly and cracked her big toe upon the leg of a stool.

She cried out, cursing, and quickly lifted her foot to inspect the damage. Well, at least she knew she wasn't dreaming.

"Damn it," she grumbled, noting a small cut on her toe.

Huffing, she lowered her leg, picked up her cell and hobbled back into the bedroom. But, the pain soon disappeared when her mind focused upon the phone call which had happened just a few short minutes ago.

She sat on the bed, looked at her phone and pulled up her boss's number...

DB answered, "Hey, Sara...I thought you'd be trying to get some rest. Why are you calling me at this hour?"

"Are you free for a minute?" she asked. "Not interrupting you at a scene or anything?"

"Nah," he responded, "A very slow night tonight. I'm doing paperwork. What can I do for you?"

She sat back on the bed and pulled open the bedside drawer taking out a file. "I really need tomorrow night off. I can swap or do anything extra if you need me too to make up for it and...I know it's short notice, for that I'm sorry..." She opened the file and took out the papers. "Something unexpected has just come up..."

"May I ask what?" DB enquired.

Sara looked at the divorce papers in her hand and flicked to the last page. Her eyes scanned over the signature part and she smiled. She too, still hadn't signed. She wasn't entirely sure why she was looking at them. Hopefully it would be the last time she had to look at them. She slipped them back into the file.

"Because my husband is coming home," she said with a surprising amount of pride.

She heard DB cough. "I'm sorry?" He sounded confused. "Did you just say your husband? You mean Gil?" he questioned.

"Yeah."

"But...I thought you two...I mean, you said..."

Sara stopped him rambling. "I know...I thought...I said he wasn't my husband because at the time I didn't think he was. We've both had the papers for weeks. He hasn't signed and...he wants to try and work things out."

"Oh...um...well...that puts a bit of a different perspective on a few things then..."

"I kinda know that," she grumbled.

DB sighed a little. "You haven't told him about what happened with Basderic have you?"

Sara cleared her throat, placing the file back in the drawer. "No," she admitted. "And I know I'll have to but that's my problem and I will..."

"Are you sure?"

Now Sara sighed. "I'm sure."

"Alright...I'll get you cover. Call me and let me know how things are going, okay?"

Sara's smile returned. "I will and...thanks."

"You know the guys will ask questions if you're not on shift."

After a moment's thought, Sara inhaled a deep breath. "I know...you don't have to keep secrets for me. I...wouldn't expect you to lie...I guess I'll just have to be the talk of the lab again."

"Hopefully not in a bad way," he countered.

"I guess we'll see..."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

DB hung up and noticed Nick was standing in the doorway. The CSI waved a paper through the air.

"I got that report you asked for," he said walking up to the desk.

"Thanks," DB replied taking the paper from Nick. "Sit down," the supervisor said, pointing to the free chair opposite.

Nick sat and looked at his boss. "It's your night off tomorrow isn't it?"

The CSI nodded. "Yep."

"Feel like working?" DB asked, rummaging through his desk looking for a pencil.

Nick pouted. "Um...I can do...don't have any plans. Why? Something happened?"

"Sara needs the night off."

Leaning forwards in his chair, Nick placed his hands on the desk. "She alright?"

DB looked up. "Yeah..."

Nick waited for him to elaborate. "And..." The CSI pushed when DB seemed to leave it at that. "Sara doesn't normally ask for time off at such short notice unless she's got a problem... And I'm still worried about her after everything that happened so..."

"She has a date," The older man replied simply.

"A date?" Nick frowned and sat back again. "Does that merit time off now?"

"With her husband," DB countered, keeping a straight face which he was finding hard to do.

The look Nick gave him made him smile though.

"What?" the younger man asked obviously confused.

"You know..." DB continued, writing something on the paper Nick had just given to him, "...Grissom. Her husband..."

Nick laughed now. "But...she isn't married anymore."

DB looked up and the innocent smile which was on Nick's face quickly disappeared. His mouth worked in circles, his words evading him for a time. "Either I missed something or..."

There was a knock at the door and the men were interrupted by Greg needing DB's attention.

The supervisor stood. "Back to work I guess."

Nick watched him leave the office but was quick to follow, definitely needing answers...

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara sat on the sofa, flicking through the channels on the TV not really settling upon anything for more than five minutes.

After Grissom's call she had tried to get back to sleep but it simply wasn't going to happen. So after a few very restless hours, she got up and busied herself with whatever she could. Reading and TV had occupied most of her morning although a few beers had aided her occasional spouts of staring into nothing.

She looked at the clock. _11am_.

She'd looked at the clock about a hundred times already and it didn't seem to be speeding up any.

The fact that in a few short hours she would be eye to eye with her husband for the first time in months, she couldn't quite believe.

Everything had just gone so wrong. She didn't think they would ever fix it.

She cursed herself though because neither of them had really tried. At least not hard enough.

Even now, after everything...the years it took for them, their fights, their splits...eventually getting together...the marriage...

Their ability to communicate with each was still bordering on poor to average.

It never happened when they were together. They talked a lot when they were together.

It was just when they were apart...

And her coming back to Vegas had been the beginning of the demise in their relationship. They'd started off okay. He'd managed to make frequent trips out or she'd go to him but soon they dried up and they were lucky if they saw each other once every two months.

He didn't want to give up his work and neither did she. It was all pretty ridiculous.

After all, he had left Vegas and he had given up everything to be with her. Now she was back there without him.

But something kept her there and something kept him away.

Although neither of them could ever say to each other what that was.

They were both stubborn, driven, work obsessed, intelligent...idiots.

They were both idiots.

Her cell rang and she plucked it from her pocket. The caller ID declared it was Russell.

"Hi..." she said, answering.

He sighed and it immediately concerned her. She put the remote down and straightened up.

"Sara you need to get down here..."

She looked at the clock again. "Now?" she questioned. "Why? What's...what's going on?"

"Please..." His tone was almost begging now and that troubled her. "...just, get down to the lab. I'll explain when you get here."

"Okay," she agreed.

Hanging up, she grabbed her purse and quickly headed for the lab...

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review :D More soon...**


	3. Till Death do you part

**A/N: I am so loving writing this story. And evil hat is enjoying it too :D**

**Thank you very much for all your great reviews! The story has had quite a reaction :) Please keep your thoughts coming!**

**Big thank you to SSC for the speedy beta and input (sorry if I rambled) and thanks to PrintDust for giving the prologue recap a little extra voomph. You ladies are my rocks!**

**SO, let's great some chaos shall we? LOL! Enjoy…**

Chapter 2

When Sara arrived at the at the LVPD building she hurried inside and ran down the long corridor towards the lab.

As she walked past reception and towards Russell's office, her eyes narrowed when she noticed people looking at her.

More like staring at her.

She shook her head angrily, presuming it was related to her '_divorce_'. Since their separation was made public knowledge, Sara had felt the full scrutiny of her peers. Her frown deepened, the prospect of losing her husband was painful enough without the public opinion.

Then again, this was the lab...

However, she hadn't expected DB to shout it from the roof tops so her disappointment was extremely evident.

Dear God...divorce...she hated even thinking the word. Sara had not had an easy life by any stretch of the imagination. And yet, the idea of divorcing the only man she ever loved...

Still loved.

And she hoped...still loved her back.

However, reconciliation was still distant but maybe now he wanted to talk...talk _properly_...there could be a light at the end of their very long dark tunnel.

They had been through so much; things had gotten so bad that divorce had indeed come up. Lawyers were hired, yet terms and assets had yet to be discussed.

And the entire lab knew...well, they thought they did...

Her pace accelerated and she gritted her teeth.

Quickly, she reached her boss's office to find him sitting on his desk reading a file. She didn't bother with any pleasantries. "So what's so important?" she grumbled, folding her arms over her chest while remaining in the doorway. "Do I need to do a lap of shame around the lab?" She slammed her purse onto the top of a filling cabinet by the door. "I can't believe you just went and told everyone."

He looked up, slowly lowering the file. "I didn't and…that's not what this is about, Sara."

"So what are those looks for?" She pointed behind her.

He just sighed unhappily.

Sara's eyes narrowed even further by the way he was looking at her. His expression was very troubled indeed.

She took a few more steps into the office. "What's going on?" she questioned seriously now.

He placed the file on the desk and stood. He gestured a hand to a chair. "Sit down," he requested.

Looking at the chair, Sara shook her head. "I don't want to sit down," she replied. "I want to know what's going on and I can tell by the atmosphere in here that something's happened..."

DB cleared his throat, slipping a finger underneath his glasses to rub under his eye. "Yeah...you could say something's happened," he agreed.

Sara shrugged her shoulders impatiently, stepping closer. "What? Just tell me..."

"Ronald Basderic has been released...his case was thrown out this morning."

Sara's mouth opened but no words come out. She felt herself swaying and every ounce of color drain from her face.

Quickly stepping forward DB reached out to her but she immediately pushed him away. She shook her head, holding out a shaking hand. "Please tell me you didn't just say that?"

Her supervisor nodded.

"And you're only telling me now?" She blinked hard as shock grasped her, her chin quivering. "How the…?"

"He has a good attorneys, Sara. They totally ripped everything apart. Discredited…everything…_everyone_…The DA didn't have a choice…"

Her nostrils flared as her emotion turned to anger. "He stalked me…probably for months! He broke into my home..._he was in my bedroom_," she snarled. "He tried to kill me! Not to mention framing me for a murder that he committed!"

She wanted to add that he probably played a role in the demise of her marriage, but the words did not come.

"We didn't have enough hard evidence to prove that he killed Wynard," he sighed, rubbing a hand over his mouth.

"He confessed!"

Russell shook his head. "Again...evidence was dismissed. Confession was given under duress."

"Duress?

"Defense argued you set him up and you had a gun to him. You forced his confession." DB said the words soft and low

"He took the God damned firing pin out!"

"That's inconsequential and we can't prove that."

Sara shook her head in total, utter disbelief. "He was ready to kill me...it's all on the tape."

"Again, their argument…the recording is void. The confession was forced and…" He ran a hand through his hair, "…his gun was loaded with blanks. So he had no intent."

Sara pointed a firm finger at her boss. "He didn't know that! He had all the intent in the world!"

"He claims he did know the gun was loaded with blanks and he just wanted to scare you…like you'd scared him. It's one word against another and it's not the best approach to say two of our own messed with his firearm. The recording would never hold up in court because he feared for his life. You had a gun on him. Another armed CSI close by as well as a cop…All with loaded weapons…when he had none."

Sara laughed, even if not in jest, biting down hard on her bottom lip. "He didn't know they were there."

"We can't prove that."

Her head was shaking again. "I can't believe what you're telling me…" she paused suddenly realizing and a solid lump formed in her throat. "You know he's going to come after me don't you?"

The lead CSI took her arm now and moved her to the chair. "Sit down, Sara. Please! Before you fall down."

She was too stunned to argue now and slumped down into the chair. Her boss sat back on his desk, looking down at her.

"One thing we managed to get was a restraining order…"

Looking up to him with unbelieving eyes, she managed a weak smile.

"He can't come near you…"

She sniggered. "That's so reassuring. Like that's going to stop him. You have no idea what he's like. He's a killer…he wants me dead…he won't stop," Her last words were almost a sob.

Now DB worked his jaw, seeking some form of comforting words. "We are appealing the decision. If we can find something more solid, the judgment could be over turned."

"But we don't have anything else do we?" she argued.

Hodges walked into the office, without knocking, carrying a package.

Sara turned sensing his entrance and glared him down for the interruption.

He noticed and nervously cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt..." He held up the box, "...but this was just delivered for you at the front desk. The driver asked to get it to you urgently."

Sara slowly stood, flashing DB a quick glance. He stood also.

"Urgent?" she questioned irritably.

Hodges shrugged. "Apparently..."

Frowning, Sara reached out and took the box from the lab tech. She closely inspected the small wrapped parcel. It was shoe box size but square.

"There's no return address on it...no date, no postmark...nothing. Just my name." She turned fully to her supervisor now and he moved to stand by her, "I don't like this..." she continued, now holding the box at arm's length. After what she'd just discovered about her nemesis, the bad feeling in her stomach was growing.

Carefully, DB reached out both his hands. "Let me?" he asked, feeling her anxiety.

Sara allowed him to take the package from her and he stepped back, carefully holding the box against his ear. "Well...it isn't ticking," he said. "And it feels…very light…" He gave Sara a feeble smile but all she did was fold her arms across her chest again.

"Okay…okay," he muttered placing the box onto his desk. He rounded furniture and reached for his letter opener.

Sara watched on nervously as Hodges drew closer. She gave him an unwanted look. "You still here?" she muttered. "Don't you have gossip to spread?"

He looked at her startled. "I'm not like that," he denied. "I'm just as concerned as you are," he retorted.

"I highly doubt that," she countered, returning her attention to her boss.

With cautious hands, DB carefully cut away the brown paper surrounding the package. He pulled it away easily and no hidden surprises greeted him as he did.

Sara watched on, nibbling at her thumb nail.

Once the paper was removed, a simple white box was revealed and he slowly pulled off the lid. He looked inside the box and then to Sara who was leaning forward to see what contents the box exposed.

"There's…an envelope," DB announced, slipping his hand inside the box to pull it out. It was a simple standard white envelope, no writing or markings on it. "Why not just send the envelope?" he questioned.

Sara didn't have an answer to that. She pointed to the envelope. "Open it…"

He nodded, sliced the envelope open and then pulled out a sheet of paper. He unfolded it and as his eyes scanned over the writing on the piece of stationary, his mouth popped open. His eyes flashed to Sara and he seemed a little dumbstruck. "Um…" he began but hesitated.

Her eyes questioned his. "What is it?" she asked with haste, her heart strumming like a drum in a heavy metal band.

Turning the paper he held it up to her and she immediately recognized it.

"What the hell?" she questioned, seeing it was a copy of her divorce paper, well, the last page anyway. Then suddenly, her eyes were downcast towards where the signature should go. "Oh, Jesus…" she mumbled, noting the thick, red, sticky letters that had been stuck over the dotted line…

'Till death do you part.'

"It's him," she said attempting to snatch the paper but DB was quick to retract his hand.

He held out his free hand trying to reassure her but he didn't want her to take the paper in case of prints. "Sara calm down…"

She thought for a minute. Trying to analyze exactly what this meant and then it hit her, like a world class boxer had punched her in the face. "He's going for Gil…"

"You don't know that and you don't know it's…"

"It's Basderic!" she shouted and Hodges took a cautious step backwards.

DB carefully placed the paper back in the box, placed it on his desk and approached her but she back peddled. "Sara…how would he know about Gil? He was only released this morning."

Her eyes spiraled as she tried to think. Tick…tick…tick…her thoughts clicked over and over. "I just know…he's…he's…why send…" She pointed to the box, "…_that_ if it's nothing to do with Gil?" She looked at her watch. It was coming up to past _12.30_pm.

"Okay…just, try and relax," the supervisor tried to calm her. "What time does he land?"

"_2.30_," she replied pulling out her cell.

He frowned. "Who are you calling?"

"I'm calling Gil."

"But won't he be in the air?"

She turned away and ignored his comment. She pushed a button and waited. The call flicked straight to his voice mail.

"Hi, this is Gil Grissom, leave a message…"

"Gil, it's me," she began, taking a breath. "I…um…when you get off the plane I'll be waiting for you, okay? Please, just don't go anywhere until you see me. Just wait…it's…it's just important. I love you…" her final words came on a whisper as she disconnected.

"I'm…a little confused here," Hodges declared.

Sara turned around. "Who the hell cares?" she spat. She looked back to her boss. "I'm going to the airport…right now…"

DB sighed. "I'm coming with you."

Backing away towards the door Sara grabbed her purse. "You'd better hurry up."

Before he could even answer, she was rushing out the door.

"Hodges, get that to trace." He pointed to the box. "But don't do anything with it until I tell you to."

The younger man only managed to open his mouth before DB rushed past him. His answer would go unheard…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

DB pulled his car to an abrupt stop directly outside the arrivals door at McCarran International Airport.

Sara jumped free from the car before he'd even had chance to pull his keys from the ignition. His head snapped to look at the open door. "Sara, wait!" he hollered, unclipping his belt and hurriedly following her.

She ignored him and was through the automatic doors leading to the arrivals lounge before he'd even exited his vehicle.

Sara came to a stop underneath the large scrolling screens that listed flight information and her eyes scanned rapidly for her husband's flight.

"Sara, you need to calm down," DB said breathlessly, appearing behind her. She only gave him a very quick glance before returning her attention to the screens. Anxiously, she tapped her foot on the laminate tiles beneath her feet.

"I can't see his flight," she whimpered. "It should be up."

DB took her arm. "How about we go ask?" His tone was soft, calm. It reminded Sara of a therapist.

Quickly nodding, Sara moved across the busy area towards the information desk. She sighed seeing the long line that weaved between retractable tethered poles. Taking it upon herself to jump the queue she ducked under the rope and went straight to the desk.

People glared at her but averted their gazes when she pulled out her law enforcement ID. "I need some information," she said with urgency.

The woman behind the desk looked over her ID carefully and then Sara and DB respectively. After her inspection, she nodded. "What can I help you with?"

Sara waved at the screens. "The _2:30_ from Peru, I can't see its ETA. Is it still due in at _2:30_?"

The clerk tapped at her PC and then looked up. "That flight was cancelled."

"What?" Sara asked, frowning.

"The flight was cancelled, Ma'am..." She continued to hit buttons on her keyboard. "...most passengers took the earlier flight...it arrived...an hour ago."

Sara's breaths quickened and she looked at her watch. "_An hour ago_?" she almost shouted.

DB placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her. He pointed to the computer. "Can you check and see if a Gil Grissom was aboard the earlier flight, please?"

The clerk nodded again, hitting numerous keys, her eyes squinting as she scanned the information on her screen. "Erm...yes, he was. He disembarked like everyone else."

"Oh, God..." Sara stepped back, looking around. It felt as if she was caught in the centre of a tornado as her eyes scanned the immediate area, though she knew if he'd landed an hour ago he wouldn't still be there.

"Why didn't he tell me he was getting in earlier?"

DB took her arm and led her off and out of the crowd. "Maybe he just wanted to surprise you. He's probably just waiting for you at home."

Looking her supervisor dead in the eye, Sara gritted her teeth. "Then why isn't he answering his phone?"

"I don't know," he sighed.

Suddenly Sara's cell rang and she plucked it from her pocket. A look of relief washed over her face when she saw Grissom on the caller ID.

"It's him?" DB asked, noting her change of expression.

Sara nodded, placing the phone at her ear. "Gil?"

She was met with dead air.

"Gil?" she asked again, more firmly, her nerves pinching. She frowned and DB noticed, drawing closer to her.

"S...Sara..."

Sara's eyes widened at the weak, pained voice that came back at her even if it was her husband's. She shot her eyes to DB and they both knew something wasn't right. Quickly, he whipped a tape recorder from his pocket, hit record and held it against the phone.

"Gil...talk to me...what's going on?" she pleaded.

Her heart sank as a cry of pain from him echoed down the phone. "No..." he managed to say before a loud crack forced Sara to pull the cell from her ear for a moment. She quickly replaced the device to listen.

Panic flooded through her. "Gil!" she shouted now.

Then a voice came. A voice she didn't know. It was computer like and most definitely the real voice was being concealed by some form of device.

"This is all for you," the voice said.

"What the hell do you want?" she growled.

The voice laughed. "For you to suffer of course...listen..."

DB squared closer into her, trying to hear as well as offer support.

Sara could do nothing but listen as she heard a faint groan which she knew came from Grissom. Then she heard his panic and a whimper fell from her lips as she could do nothing about his plea.

"No...no...no...please..." he cried.

All was silent and then suddenly the sound of metal on metal and the most gut wrenching scream from the man she loved boomed down the phone.

"Oh my, God..." she wept, her pulse off the chart, her eyes filling with tears.

The voice laughed again. "This is going to be so much fun..."

Then the phone went dead.

**A/N: Oh dear...oh dear... Hehehehehehe. I love this! Thoughts please? :D**


	4. This is for real

**A/N: Okie peeps, how we all doing? Well, I was in two minds as whether or not to post but considering I now have a very full work schedule, I thought it best otherwise it may be a week before I got the chance. Didn't want to keep you waiting that long because I love you :) That and Evil hat was getting impatient!**

**Thank you so very, very much for all your thoughts and reviews. Please keep them coming and if you haven't reviewed before, please take two minutes to pass on your thoughts to me. I do read them and I do pay attention! And, I take the time to reply to each and everyone. Just remember your must be 1. Be signed in and 2. Not have a reply blocker on. I can't reply to you otherwise. **

**Thank you to PrintDust for the beta, I think I have a bit more work to do on the next chapter but I know I have the support for it! Thank you babe!**

**So, I guess we better let the hat have his way and see if we can work out what's happened to our poor G man... :(**

Chapter 3

Sara stared at her cell, her lower lip quivering. It was so noisy around her, yet she heard nothing. She felt so dizzy…so sick…

She didn't even notice as DB slipped his arm around her waist and urged her toward the entrance doors until they were half way there. Her head turned to him and her tearful eyes questioned his.

"I'm taking you to get some air," he said. "You look like you need it."

Once they were outside, she pulled away from him, flattening her palm against the wall next to the doors. Sara shook her head wildly. "This - this isn't happening…" she mumbled.

DB moved in close. "We don't know…"

She spun around, her eyes fixed and fiery. "Yes we do!" she argued, "That… that… that… psychopath has my husband!"

The nightshift supervisor knew that in her current state there was no point in arguing with her. Yes, the phone call seemed to confirm her husband had indeed been taken against his will, but it didn't reveal by whom. Although his gut was telling him otherwise, he needed evidence before he could start making accusations.

"Just stay there," he commanded, albeit softly, holding up a finger to her. He pulled out his cell.

"Brass…"

"Jim, it's me."

Across the city, the captain picked up his coffee mug and leaned back in his chair. "What can I do for you, Russell?" he asked.

DB kept his back carefully turned away from Sara, though he peered at her out of the corner of his eye while he spoke. "I need you and the team down at McCarran - people who Sara trusts…call them in …and…I need you to get me a warrant for the CCTV. And I need it now…"

Brass pouted, a small frown forming on his brow. "_Sara_? Why? What's going on?"

"Probable abduction…"

Sara looked to the sky upon hearing his words, fighting off tears that were born from both anger and frustration.

Now, leaning forward Brass sensed something in DB's tone. "Do we know who?" he asked.

DB closed his eyes, turning fully away from Sara. "Grissom…" he said quietly.

Brass coughed in surprise. "I'm sorry…_what_?"

DB looked over his shoulder, his eyes falling upon Sara again as she began pacing back and forth, evidently thinking. "You heard me right…"

"_Gil_?" Brass questioned. "Are you _serious_?"

"I wouldn't joke about something like this," DB shot right back.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Brass slowly stood. "I don't understand. Is Sara with you? What…? How…."

"Just get down here with a couple of the guys and I'll explain and..." he turned his back to Sara again, "…send someone over to Sara's place. Just check it out - see if anyone is home…or if there are any signs of disturbance. It might be an idea to keep it under surveillance for now."

"Um…" Brass waved a hand to himself, unsure. "…okay…"

Russell glanced back to Sara. She looked like she was ready to blow. "Be quick. I feel the clock is against us here one way or another. We have to check the CCTV ASAP, so I need that warrant. Once Ecklie knows who's involved here I can't see it being a problem…"

"Alright…alight…I'll get the warrant and be right there…."

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, DB turned to his employee. "Sara…"

She stopped pacing and looked at him.

He certainly felt for her. He knew exactly what it was like to have a loved one in the arms of someone you'd rather them not be with. "Are you going to be okay?"

Flicking her head back she glared at him. "What do you think?" she spat back.

Cautiously he reached for her arm. "Come with me…"

She glared at his hand. "Why? Where were we going?"

He took a composing breath. "We need to…"

Sara thought for a moment. "Bring Basderic in," she cut him short.

He clenched his jaw. "You know I can't do that. Not without…"

She pulled her arm away. "_He…is…doing…this_…"

"Sara…I'm trying here, okay? Now you have to work with me on this. Understand my position. If you don't…I'll get someone to take you home…"

Sara's eyes widened. How dare he? She opened her mouth but he stopped her.

"Don't!" He held up a finger. "Basderic has just been released and I can't question him without something substantial. I will have the DA so far up my ass we will _all_ end up in the firing line. And that's certainly something _you _don't want so soon…"

"He's a killer…"

Russell nodded. "Maybe so, _but_…if he's behind _this_, we _will_ get him. Do you want to cut corners and let him get away…_again_?"

Sara exhaled a massive, nervous sigh. "I just want to find my husband."

"Then…let's do that…" He nodded towards the doors. "We need to wait for Brass. Are you coming?"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

While Sara sat anxiously waiting, Russell stepped away again to make another call. He stayed close though, watching her. He wasn't entirely sure how to handle her given the circumstances. So, just leaving her be for the time being seemed to be the best plan.

He pulled up Hodges' number and hit call.

Hodges answered and went on an instant rant. "You know, there are so many rumors flying around here right now I have no idea whether I'm coming or going. And you just left me totally in the dark and…"

"David, shut up," Russell stopped him.

The lab rat silenced.

The supervisor took a breath. "The box and paper that were delivered to Sara…"

Hodges sighed, "Yes?"

"They need processing…thoroughly. I need any trace, prints, make, brand, locations for purchase…anything. We need to find out who sent the package. And quickly…"

"Okay…are you going to tell me why?"

Russell's eyes fell upon Sara, she hadn't moved but she looked very pale now. "You're wasting time…" He turned away again, his eyes scanning over the area: the arrivals point, the exit, the cameras. "…just do it. And…tell Archie to put a permanent trace on Sara's cell. If anyone calls her I want to know who it is and where they are. You go that?"

"Yes, Boss…"

Russell hung up.

The CSI had come to the conclusion that there were plenty of cameras. They shouldn't have any issues finding out exactly how Grissom left the airport.

Shifting his attention back to where Sara was, his eyes widened when he found her seat was empty.

Panic overcame him for a second, his head and eyes shooting in all directions until he came across a security officer who was obviously watching them. He pointed to the door and Russell was quick to dash outside.

He found Sara leaning against the wall again but this time she had a pool of vomit sitting by her feet and she was slightly keeled over.

Slowly, he approached her and placed a soft hand in the palm of her back, rubbing gently. "You okay?" He knew it was a stupid question but he had to ask.

Sara straightened herself out and nodded, wiping her mouth on her jacket sleeve. "Just saying hello to my breakfast," she attempted to joke.

"Sir, is this your car?"

Both CSI's turned to see an officer pointing to their company vehicle.

"Yeah…" Russell answered pulling out his ID and holding it up to the officer. "We're waiting for a warrant…there's…an investigation in progress…"

The officer nodded and held out his hand. "Give me your keys and I'll park it for you. It can't stay there."

Russell didn't argue and fished his keys from his pocket, handing them to the man. "Thanks."

"You sure you're okay?" Russell returned his attention to his worker.

Sara shrugged. "I'll survive."

Biting down on his bottom lip, Russell pointed back to the entrance. "Let's go back inside. I'll get you some water. Brass…hopefully won't be long…"

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Brass was there within the hour. He rushed into arrivals and found DB sitting with Sara close to the doors and immediately noticed how he was watching her.

"Hey…" he announced himself and both looked to him, standing immediately. "Nick's on his way and he's going to try and get hold of Finn. I did get hold of Greg too; he's going by the house with an officer…"

"Did you get it?" Sara asked with urgency ignoring what he'd just said.

Holding up his hands, Brass tried to calm her. "Yes, I did. But can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on here?"

Sara shakily ran a hand through her hair. "Gil was coming home today. We were…" She closed her eyes, taking a breath, "…going to try and work things out…"

"Work things out?" Brass asked, shaking his head.

"Divorce…" she bit down on her tongue.

Brass frowned. "But aren't you guys already…"

She shook her head. "No. It was never final."

He frowned, rubbing his right eye. "Okay…well…that's not…" He tried to work out what to say, "…so what happened? What makes you think he's been abducted?"

Russell stepped in. "Sara was sent a box at the lab. Quite obviously a warning…a threat. And we rushed down here to find that Gil had already landed and we have no idea where he is."

"That's it?" the captain questioned, stopping DB before he'd finished.

"What do you mean is _that it_?" Sara growled. "I was sent a copy of my own divorce paper with _'till death do you part'_ splashed all over it. My husband _is_ missing…" Her upper lip curled, "…and by, _God_, I _know_ he's missing and that…that animal was released this morning. Is that not enough for you, _Jim_?"

Brass went to say something but Sara cut him short.

"Well…" she snarled, reaching into DB's pocket before he could stop her. She pulled out the recorder, rewound it and hit play, throwing it to the lawman. "Try that…maybe that will fucking convince you!"

She pushed through the two men, disappearing out the exit again.

Russell watched Sara through the glass, ensuring she didn't vanish from his line of sight while Brass listened to the recording. Once it was done he hit stop and sighed.

"Shit…" he mumbled.

Russell plucked the recorder from his hand. "Yeah…" he agreed. "This is for real," he added. "Sara thinks she knows who but we can't prove anything yet."

"Basderic?" Brass asked and received a simple nod from DB in response.

"I wish I'd been here when that happened," Brass said with regret.

Placing a comforting hand onto his colleagues shoulder, DB gave the Captain a reassuring squeeze. "I think many have regrets about what happened with that but we can't change it now. And you can't help being out of town. You can't always be around."

"For her I usually am though." He stepped away from DB in pursuit of his friend. When he found her she was staring into nothing but a line of traffic passing by.

"So…" Brass began, "…you want to find that husband of yours or what?"

She faced him, her eyes teary but she sucked it up. "Let's go…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The trio headed for airport security, reaching it quickly. Two officers hovered outside the area, blocking anyone from entering without permission. Brass took the lead as one of the officers looked in his direction.

"Jim," the man announced with a smile, holding out his hand.

Brass shook the man's hand, "Hey, Tom, good to see you. This is," he gestured a hand, "CSI Sara Sidle and her supervisor DB Russell."

Tom slipped his fingers into his belt with a nod. "Hi," he responded, returning his attention to Brass. "Don't often see you down here, Jim. Is something going on?"

After looking to his colleagues again, Brass plucked an envelope from his pocket. "Need to check the camera footage. Here's the warrant."

Taking the envelope, Tom pulled out the warrant and looked it over. "Okay." he replied without fuss. "Follow me."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The group entered the security control room. There were monitors everywhere as well as staff.

Tom kinked his head towards the back. "Come this way, we'll find a free console to find what it is your looking for."

They all followed the security officer and he slipped into a chair by a number of screens. "Sit," he requested to those behind him.

Russell and Sara sat at the desk while Brass hovered behind.

"What am I looking for?" Tom asked tapping at a keyboard.

"We need to find someone and what happened to him. He came in on the _12:15_ from Peru," Russell answered. "I need to follow him from the second he left the plane or as close as possible.

Sara began biting at her finger nails as she watched the officer's fingers work the keys on the computer.

"Okay." Tom's brow furrowed as his concentration kicked in. Numerous blocks of footage appeared on the screen before them. "Just need to find the right flight…ah there it is…"


	5. Say hello to your wife

**A/N: Warning, this chapter is boarding on M for scenes of violence. Please read responsibly.**

**Hmmm…You can probably tell by the warning this chapter may be a little tense. So I won't bang on with a long AN. A quick thank you to all of you for the great reviews and feedback. Please keep the reviews coming. **

**Thanks to SSC for coping with my harassment and giving me a pretty speedy beta. And she's also beta'd the next chapter too. So that's good to go. Thank you hun!**

**Cringe warning ahead – prepare because the hat is on and ooooh boy is he mad!**

Chapter 4

The group watched as a selection of screens popped up and Tom highlighted on the one in the tunnel, showing the plane's door.

"It's not a big plane," the security officer informed them. "So there shouldn't be hundreds of passengers like a big commercial flight.

Russell, Brass and Sara all watched as the passengers began to disembark. The camera footage, like most, was grayscale but reasonably good quality so they shouldn't have come across any difficulty identifying Grissom once they saw him.

Suddenly, Sara perked up, pointing to the monitor. "There!" she stated. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him on the screen. He'd lost weight, cut his hair…trimmed his beard. He was carrying a large backpack and it looked pretty full. She sighed silently. "That's him."

"And who is he?" Tom inquired. "What did he do?"

Sara bit her lip. "He's my husband," she mumbled. "And…he didn't do anything."

"Oh…" Clearing his throat Tom returned his attention to his task.

Sara looked over her shoulder to Brass. She could feel his eyes on her and he gave her a tiny smile. "We'll find him," he reassured.

She nodded. It wasn't often Brass spoke a lie and she was trying really hard to believe him, even if just for her own sanity.

Tom hit pause and then began tapping keys again.

"What are you doing?" Russell enquired.

Licking his lips, Tom continued, his eyes carefully watching the screen as he hit numerous numbers on the keyboard. "Just, setting a motion track so the monitors will…" He highlighted Grissom and hit another button, "…follow him." He turned to face each person in turn, explaining his actions. "Ever use Facebook?" he asked.

Everyone just remained silent, all wondering what that had to do with anything.

Sara finally spoke up. "What?"

Tom smiled. "It's like tagging. You tag one photograph and then every time that person pops up, it can automatically tag them for you because it recognizes their face. Well this is the same principle. Now…" He hit a final key, "…the computer will automatically follow him and skip to which ever camera picks him up. That way we don't have to mess around going from camera to camera. It will do it for us…"

Brass puffed out his cheeks feeling way out of his depth, "Facebook huh? Whatever happened to ping pong?"

The security officer tried not to laugh and clicked the full screen button so they could get a good view of what was happening.

They all watched, following Grissom's journey through the airport.

Sara watched relentlessly, never taking her eyes from him. She inwardly craved…wished…she could just leap inside the monitor and hold him. It had been so long since she had just held him…

Nothing unusual happened. He left the plane, passed through security without an issue and then visited the bathroom. Sara smiled to herself even if just a little, thinking of Grissom's hatred of airplane bathrooms. It wasn't his most favorite thing in the world and if he could go without using it, he would. Or at the very least, he would use it the minimal times possible during his journey.

When he picked up his luggage, Sara noted he hadn't travelled light.

"That's quite a lot of baggage," Brass said as they watched Grissom pick up two large suitcases and another bag from the luggage collection area.

"Yeah…" Sara sighed, just wondering why.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Brass gave her a squeeze of support. "Maybe he wasn't planning on going anywhere anytime soon…"

Sara's chin quivered, tears building again. One managed to fall as she continued to watch the footage but she was quick to swipe it away on the back of her hand before anyone saw.

Grissom placed his luggage on a trolley and headed for the arrivals lounge, shimmying through the crowds of people welcoming their loved ones home. He proceeded to the doors but then veered off towards someone.

"Who's that?" Russell asked, watching as the former CSI stopped by a man holding up a piece of paper.

Sara shook her head. "I don't know…what's he holding?" She looked to Tom. "Can you rewind and zoom in so we can see his face better and what's on that paper?"

"Sure…" He did as asked, rewound a little and then zoomed in. It wasn't much better though.

"That as far as it goes?" Russell asked.

Tom nodded. "Afraid so. It's just a basic system. We're not all technological. That's why we have you guys." He tired to lighten the mood with the compliment and a smile.

Brass leaned forward. "It says Gil Grissom on the paper," he informed everyone as the motion started again. "So that means this guy was waiting for him."

Sara shook her head. "I don't…recognize him. Do you?" She looked to Brass again but the captain shook his head.

"Me either," Russell added. "But it means someone must have been keeping tabs on your husband. Otherwise how would he know he took another flight and be waiting for him?"

A look of deep thought appeared on Sara's face.

"I've seen him before," Tom interrupted and all gave the officer their undivided attention. "Well… I don't know him but I'm sure...I think he's a cab driver. I don't know his name though, sorry."

Russell leaned in closer as the man handed Grissom something. "Don't worry. We can find him…" His eyes narrowed as he continued to watch. "I don't think this particular cab driver is about to drive our man away though…"

"What did he just give him?" Sara questioned.

"Looks like an envelope," Russell returned.

It was indeed an envelope and a short conversation between Grissom and the man commenced before the stranger walked away.

They watched as Grissom tore open the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper along with something else.

"Are those keys?" Russell asked.

Sara narrowed her eyes, trying to see. "Could be…I'm not sure…"

Grissom was motionless for a while, looking at the paper.

Brass pulled up a chair to sit by Sara. "If he's been given keys, he's been given them for a reason." He pointed to the screen. "Let's keep watching…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

As Grissom pushed his trolley though the arrivals lounge doors, he checked his watch. He thought of calling Sara to let her know he had landed early. He decided not to. The element of surprise could work in his favor. And it gave him a little time to pick her some flowers or a plant up on the way to the house.

She'd like that. She still loved her vegetation. And a little token of affection definitely wouldn't hurt.

He maneuvered through the people, heading for the exit but then he frowned, seeing someone holding up a card with his name on it.

Moving to the man, he stopped in front of him. "I'm Gil Grissom," he announced.

The man smiled. "Glad to see you're on time," he said.

Grissom's frown deepened. "On time?" he questioned, looking at his watch again. If he'd taken his original flight, he was by no means on time. "Who are you?"

"Oh…" The man reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, "…just the delivery boy." He held out the envelope. "This is for you."

He stared at the envelope. "What's that?"

The man shrugged. "No idea, sorry. I was just told to wait for you and hand it over." He urged Grissom to take the small package.

Grissom's confusion grew but he slowly took the envelope from the man. It felt heavier than it should, like there was something other than paper inside.

Looking behind him, the man sighed. "I'm sorry; I really need to get going. I have other things to do." The man gave him a smile. "Have a nice day," he finished on before backing away and disappearing through the exit doors.

Grissom blew out a breath and ripped open the envelope, tipping the contents out into his free hand. A piece of paper and a set of car keys were revealed to him. His brow furrowed as he held up the keys before turning his attention to the paper. He unfolded it to realize it was a note and it looked like Sara's handwriting.

He read the scribbling to himself.

"_Hey. I got wind you were landing early so hopefully this will get to you on time. I'm actually trying to organize something for us otherwise I would have come and met you myself. I think it would be a good idea for us to spend a little time out of the city. That way, we can try and work things out without being disturbed. At least, I hope we can work things out._

_Below is the address for a hotel I thought we could meet at. The keys are for a rental car due to where the hotel is. Hope you don't mind. I'll try and be there by the time you are. Room 109. I love you. Sara."_

The note continued with the cars location and the hotel address. By the time he'd finished reading he was nibbling on his bottom lip. He didn't disagree that getting out of the city would be a good idea. He knew her job and she could have easily been called in. But a longish drive after an eight hour flight…That thought didn't fill him with glee.

However, she seemed to be making an effort so, he should also. He breathed a soft sigh and took his trolley.

He headed for the parking deck. The quicker he found the car, the quicker he could get to his destination.

It didn't take him long to locate the vehicle. Sara had a knack for giving good directions and with a push of the button on the keys, the alarm disabled with a high pitched beep. He opened up the trunk, placing his luggage inside before taking the trolley to the trolley storage area.

The car was nice and as he slipped into the driver's seat he looked over the dash. The whole vehicle seemed pretty new.

He looked to the passenger seat to see a piece of paper folded in half. He reached for it and unfolded it. A smile appeared on his lips when he read what was written:

_Welcome home_.

Sighing contently, he dropped the paper and slipped the keys into the ignition. As he sat back he suddenly felt the car move and a presence behind him. He had no time to react though before two hands reached around the back of the seat and a cloth was clamped over his mouth and nose.

His eyes bulged as the pungent smell of chloroform filtered through his system and hit his lungs. His hands shot to his attackers and he attempted to pull the hands away but as the drug quickly took it's hold, his hands fell back to his lap and his eyes slowly closed…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The car began to rock and Sara looked to her boss.

Russell's eyes were locked upon the screen but he could feel her eyes upon him. "Is there another camera?" he asked. "So maybe we can see a little better inside the car?"

"Yeah…" Tom hit a few buttons and the camera skipped to a side on view rather than a rear one. He rewound and they watched the last few minutes of footage again.

Sara sat back and although she'd pretty much worked out what happened inside the car from the first shot, the second angle still horrified her…confirming her fears.

Her husband had indeed been taken against his will. Smothered into a state of unconsciousness and driven to…to…only God knew where…

If he was still alive now…

She shook her head. She couldn't think like that. No way would she allow herself to think like that. However, Basderic was an animal; she knew that and the possibilities, of what he could do to her husband, made her soul weep.

Feeling a gentle pressure on her shoulder, she turned her head to catch Nick's eyes as he gazed down at her. No one had paid any attention to the CSI's entrance or even noticed he was behind them until now. They were all too engrossed in the footage.

Nick looked a little pale. Not only had his friend and mentor been taken in such a despicable fashion, it rung too true to his own past experience of when he suffered a similar predicament. Sara's also. She too knew exactly what it was like to have your fate in the hands of a monster.

Sara immediately caught in his eyes exactly what he was thinking and before she even knew it, he'd reached over and gripped her hand.

"We'll find him," he whispered. "I promise…" With questioning eyes, Nick looked to his supervisor. "After all… I have a favor to return…"

Sara knew what he meant. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked.

"Long enough…"

Russell pointed to the screen as the car drove from the lot and out of camera radar. "We can't see who else is in the car without getting this zoomed in." He stood and rubbed his chin. "We've got lots to do. We need to get all this to the lab so we can go over it properly and we need to check the parking deck cameras to see who the hell is in the car and who took Grissom. The cameras must have picked him up getting in the car…" His cell rang. "Excuse me," he said, pulling out his phone and stepping towards the door.

"Hey, Russell, any news?" Greg asked.

The CSI supervisor's eyes locked with Sara's. "Grissom has been taken…"

"Shit…" Greg mumbled. "What happened?"

"I'll explain when you get back to the lab. Anything at the house?"

Greg was still outside Sara's place. "Nothing here. No signs of disturbance or anything. How's Sara doing?"

"She's holding up," Russell answered, giving Sara a weak smile.

"What do you want me to do now?" Greg asked.

Russell thought for a moment. "Get back to the lab. A package was delivered to Sara a few hours ago. I need you to…"

"Find out who delivered it," Greg finished for him.

"You got it," Russell agreed to with a nod.

Greg started towards his car. "I'm on it, see you at the lab."

Closing his phone, Russell looked to those around him. "Tom, can you get me a copy of that footage, like…now?"

The security office smiled. "It's already copying to disc."

Russell stepped back up to the desk. "Let's check out some of the parking deck footage while were waiting, see if we can spot our abductor…"

Tom nodded. "Sure." He hit rewind and Sara watched as the car Grissom had been taken in returned onto the screen. She sighed deeply. Recalling in her mind exactly what she went through at the hands of Natalie Davis. The scream she heard not so long ago churning from her defenseless husband spliced into her thoughts and she shuddered. He must be terrified…

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Not so long ago…

Slowly, Grissom's eye lids flickered until they finally opened. His eyes lazily crossed, over and over as he struggled to focus. He didn't feel good but he knew, as soon as he realized he couldn't move, that was the very least of his problems.

His heart beat fast as he tried to breath but he realized he could only do that through his nose. Something covered his mouth, preventing any inhalation of air. From the taste, he suspected duct tape. He was right.

He tried again to move his arms and legs only to slump back defeated. Looking around his immediate area he noted he was in a chair. A firm, metallic and leather chair. It was strong and uncomfortable and he wouldn't have been surprised if it was fixed to the floor. His eyes passed over each of his hands in turn. They were both strapped heavily to the arms by some form of buckled, leather restraint. He tried to pull but his bindings didn't give anything away.

His legs were in a similar predicament. Solidly bound to the legs of the furniture upon which he sat.

Sweat slowly pooled from his forehead to slip down his cheeks as panic took hold. His breathing became more and more labored as he attempted to pull himself free from the incarceration he found himself in.

Upon hearing the slide of a door though, he stilled as a bright light above him was flicked on, almost blinding him. He blinked hard, attempting to become accustomed to the brightness.

An evident chuckle came out of nowhere and Grissom attempted to find it's source. He didn't like the sound of that laugh.

"Are we comfortable?" a voice asked.

Squinting through the light, Grissom tried to focus upon whoever was talking to him but the light was too bright. Luckily…or maybe unluckily, the light was dimmed, allowing the ex CSI to see.

Grissom tensed when he suddenly came upon a sinister set of bright blue eyes staring right at him.

The man smiled, pulling up a chair to sit in front of the former supervisor. He straddled the chair backwards, lazily crossed his arms over the back and gazed at the man he had incarcerated.

With his smile broadening, he leaned forward and ripped the tape from Grissom's mouth with little finesse.

Grissom winced as parts of his freshly trimmed beard were ripped away with the sticky material.

"That's better," the man said, lazily allowing the tape to fall to the floor. "Have a nice flight?" he then asked.

Narrowing his eyes, Grissom looked the man over unsure of how to answer or what he actually wanted. "What…do you want from me?"

He smiled again, a satisfied sigh escaping from his slightly parted lips. "You have absolutely no idea who I am, do you?"

A huge lump tore at Grissom's throat and he attempted to swallow it. He shook his head.

"That makes things so much more…interesting…"

A cell rang and Grissom looked around. The man stood, pulling a phone from his pocket.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"The people I was asked to watch out for have just arrived," a voice informed him.

He puckered his lips. "Excellent." He pushed end call and slid the phone back into his right pants pocket before retrieving a pair of leather gloves form his left.

Grissom squirmed nervously as he watched the man slip the gloves onto his hands. Usually that didn't mean anything good.

This time was no exception…

Without warning the man launched his right arm forwards, his clenched, gloved fist making full contact with the right side of Grissom face, catching him right below the eye.

Grissom's head snapped back before plummeting forwards. He didn't even have the opportunity to think before another punch came followed by another and another. He cried out, pain gripping him like he'd never felt before and then one final blow just about knocked him unconscious.

Breathing for him was very difficult now. It came in fast, small spurts as he attempted to grip onto consciousness.

His captor grabbed his hair and yanked him back to an upright position.

Grissom whimpered as he fought to keep his eyes open. It hurt so much.

"Look at me," the man demanded, trying to catch his own breath.

The former CSI gasped deeply, coughing as he did and he attempted to focus again. It took some effort but he managed to find the sinister eyes looking at him. "You better keep your head up or I might have to staple your ears to the chair so that you do. Do you understand?"

Trying to push away the taste of blood that was pooling around his mouth, Grissom gave a quick…"Yes," in response.

"Good." The man stepped away, walking to the left wall to where he turned up the lights a little more. Not too brightly like his entrance but enough to allow Grissom to see his surroundings. Well, see them best he could considering he'd just been pummeled about half a dozen times.

He instantly wished the lights had been left low though for what he saw struck a fear to his heart like no other he had ever felt before.

He'd seen rooms like this at crime scenes. A torturers paradise would be the best way to describe it….

The implements he saw on a table turned his blood cold and a fear, an unquenchable fear, gripped his soul.

"Time to say hello to your wife," the man said, moving to the main table.

That immediately caught Grissom's attention and he watched as the man picked up a small grey box with numerous buttons on it. It was a voice changer. He then grabbed another cell phone and held it up for Grissom to see. Grissom immediately recognized the cell was his.

"Let's see if she's home shall we?" the man chuckled, finding Sara's name and pushing call.

All Grissom could do was watch as his captor edged closer. The grin on his face made him cringe and then as his eyes seemed to sparkle, he shuddered.

In a flash the man held the cell to Grissom's ear…

"Gil?" He heard.

It was her.

"S...Sara..." he mumbled, unable to get much more out before the phone was whisked away from him again...

"Gil...talk to me...what's going on?" she pleaded.

The man pulled a pistol from the back of his belt, edging it towards Grissom's head. He firmly pushed the barrel into a cut above his eye and Grissom cried out. The gun was then moved to his temple and the safety pulled back.

The former CSI's heart rate shot off the chart. "No..." he managed to say and for his effort he got the butt of the gun cracked over his head.

"Gil!"

With a smirk the man slipped the gun back into his belt, balanced the cell on Grissom's lap and moved back to the table. He picked up a mallet and a hard, thick metallic spike, similar to a large tent peg before returning to his hostage. He gave Grissom a big smile as he held up the spike.

He held the voice changer to his lips and bent down to the phone. "This is all for you," he said to her, his voice now robotic like.

"What the hell do you want?" she growled.

He laughed. "For you to suffer of course...listen..." He dropped the voice changer next to the phone.

With glowing eyes he placed the spike in the centre of Grissom's left hand.

Grissom tried to pull away, immediately understanding what was about to happen. But he couldn't even shift his hand a single millimeter. He was strapped down solidly.

The kidnapper raised the mallet high over his head.

"No...no...no...please..." Grissom cried.

He brought the mallet down with force and Grissom's gut wrenching scream filled the room as the metal spike drilled right through his hand, in essence, crucifying him to the chair.

"Oh my, God..." Sara wept.

He laughed again, taking the voice changer for the final time. "This is going to be so much fun..." He hung up, throwing the phone, the mallet and his toy back onto the table. He then gave Grissom his undivided attention.

Grissom sobbed as the agony ripped though him. Sweat poured down his battered face. His eyes rolled over and over trying to focus on the damage to his hand. It wasn't a pretty sight and blood dripped from his hand onto the floor by his feet causing a small pool.

"Looks nasty," the man laughed at him. "You need to be careful you don't get an infection.

Grissom cried out again, the pain was just too much and a little drool fell from his mouth.

"I have more spikes you know," the madman bragged and Grissom looked to him fearfully, panting hard. "I wonder how many we can get through..."

Quickly, Grissom shook his head. "Please..." he begged. "Please...no more..."

"We'll see..." He removed his gloves and dropped them onto the table also. He gave Grissom a wink. "I'll be seeing you..." He pointed, "...later my friend..."

With that said, he turned on his heels and headed for the door...

**A/N: Yikes…So now we know what happened during the phone call. But now what? Hmmm….The next chapter is ready, how badly do you want it? The hat is ready to take your demands, lol!  
**


	6. Tell me you believe me

**A/N: Phew, my brain hurts with this story. It's so in depth with so much to remember, I'm bound to screw up somewhere, lol. I will admit, I have never written a full on kind of case file story like this before. I'm usually all just for the GSR. While this is GSR it will also be a lot more in regards to finding the evidence. So please, if I make mistakes, be kind. **

**Evil hat is laughing at me. He's just enjoying it. I know the last chapter got a few hearts pounding, so the rating has eased back in this one. Thank you so much for your thoughts and reviews, even if some of them were of the shocked variety. Anyone who knows my writing has come to expect a few shocks, this story will be no different. In fact, it may be the most in depth yet, so, be ready for it, yet I implore you to stick with it. It will be worth it in the end, I promise.**

**Thanks to SSC for the beta and for putting up with my pestering.**

**So, let's see how things are going... **

Chapter 5

The group began watching the second set of CCTV footage during which both Finn and Morgan had arrived.

Every set of eyes were glued to the monitor as the parking deck footage was reversed. It didn't take long before a figure all dressed in black got out of the back seat of the car. The person wore black pants and a large baggy black jacket with a hood to conceal as much of their head and face as possible.

Russell leaned in closer. "That could be a man but from tis we can't be sure..."

"I bet I can tell you," Sara muttered.

"He's clever," Brass sighed as the footage continued in reverse and they watched the so called man walk backwards across the parking deck towards the exit. "Anyone else notice you never see his face? The guy never raises his head once or looks around. He knew exactly where he was going and he must have known where all the cameras were."

Pulling a pencil and pad from his pocket, Russell wrote down the car make and licence number. "That means, if it's who we suspect it is then he had some inside help."

Sara gazed at her boss and Russell looked to each of his team in turn. "Basderic wouldn't have had enough time to scout out the cameras. Yeah, he may have gotten wind he was getting released before today, but, no chance he could have plotted this route in a few hours. That's...if it is him..."

"It is," Sara stated firmly, her teeth gritting.

"Wait...wait...wait..." Tom cut in now. "What are you saying? That one of our guys could be involved in this?"

Russell stood. "Yeah."

"Seriously?"

Pulling out his cell, Russell scrolled for Greg's number. "I'm saying it's a possibility." He hit send.

"You at the lab yet?" the supervisor asked his young CSI.

Greg nodded to himself, getting ready to check the labs CCTV footage. "Just got here."

"I need you to trace a car for me. Grissom was taken in it..."

"Okay..." Greg swallowed and wheeled his chair across the floor to the computer on a desk at the opposite side of the room.

Russell looked to his notebook. "Black Honda Civic. Licence Number HKJJ345."

As the CSI read out the licence number Brass pulled his radio out and called control, putting out an APB for the car. His words were firm yet slightly desperate as he stated finding the car was vital in order to trace an abducted person and a former CSI at that.

Sara gripped the arm of her chair, hoping for good news from Greg and a trace at the very least. She was still in shock at the recent turn in events.

Greg tapped the keys, putting the information into the computer and hit search. Within a few seconds he got an instant hit. "Got it," he announced. "That was quick..."

"He got a hit," Russell informed everyone around him.

Slowly, Sara stood.

Greg read the information to his boss. "It's a rental. Belongs to...Vegas Auto's down on Freemont."

Russell nodded. "Good. Thanks, Greg. I'll be in touch." He hung up.

"And?" Sara asked quickly.

"It's a rental," Russell said, "Which is good in one way because they should have records of who ever rented the car. So hopefully we can get a face. But bad in another because I presume it's not going to be returned and we could have a job finding it. "

A small look of hope passed over Sara's face. They must be able to find out who rented the car from the records...

Except Basderic would be smarter than that.

"Right..." Russell slipped his phone back into this pocket. "Here's the plan. Sara, you're coming with Jim and me. Were going down to the rental place."

Sara nodded without argument.

He pointed to Nick. "You and Morgan get up to the parking deck and get it sealed off. See if you can find anything up there that could help us. A shoe print, a glob of spit, a receipt...anything. Oh and see if you can locate our cab driver as well. We really need to talk to him. Get some officers down here and get security to give you a hand if you need it but be watchful of them." He looked to Tom. "No offence but we still don't know if one of your guys is involved. We may need to talk to them at some point."

The security officer held up his hands, "Hey, no offence taken. If we have a sneaky rat here then all the better we find the bastard. Jim and I have known each other long enough to know we don't like traitors in our departments." He glanced to the cop. "Right, Jim?"

Brass nodded. "Damn right."

"Good," Russell announced. "You good, Nick?"

"Yes, Boss," Nick agreed.

"Finn...you get that CCTV footage back to the lab and get as many guys together to go through it as you can. Track every step our mystery guy takes and find our cab driver. I want to know about everything he's done and anyone he has talked to. We'll meet you back at the lab once were done down Fremont."

She nodded. "Got it."

"Oh..." He plucked into another pocket and pulled out the tape recorder. He held it out to her. "Get this analyzed. I want every scrap of sound torn apart. Anything at all that could give us a clue to a possible location."

Taking the tape recorder she breathed a gentle sigh. "This is a mess isn't it?" She tried not to sound negative but there was just so much to do and considering that, it wasn't likely they would find Grissom any time in the immediate future, if they found him at all.

From what she had seen and been told, whoever had organized this was by no means an idiot. His tracks would surely be well and truly covered and she feared if it was Basderic then they really were in trouble. That man was just evil

She really did feel for Sara and had done since her pervious clash with the blue eyed mad man.

Russell opened his mouth to respond but the lost look Sara gave him prevented his answer. "Let's...just get moving." He clapped his hands together. "Everybody, go, now!"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Brass pushed open the glass doors to the auto rental place and Russell, along with Sara, followed him inside.

The trio went straight for the main desk in front of them and were immediately greeted by a young, reasonably good looking man in a grey suit. He stood from his chair while straightening out his tie and offered them a smile. "Can I help you, folks?" he asked. "Looking for a reliable vehicle to see you through the week?"

"No." Brass said with little finesse, pulling out his badge for the man to see. "We're looking for just one particular vehicle."

"Oh..." The man gave his female colleague a quick look before he continued. "Well, my name is Richie Carlson, I'm the manager here. How can I help you find what you need?"

Brass pointed to the CSI's. "This is DB Russell and Sara Sidle from the crime lab. They are investigating an abduction."

Carlson frowned. "What does that have to do with us?"

Sara worked her foot into the floor as Russell pulled out his note pad. "Because..." Russell began, "...one of your rentals was used in said kidnapping. Okay?"

"Shit," Carlson gasped now. "Seriously?"

Russell nodded. "We need to know who hired this car." He showed the registration details to the manager.

The younger man sat back down. "Sure...just let me check..." He began tapping at his keyboard. "That car went out this morning. I've been off for a few days and got in late..." He continued to hit keys, "...so I didn't book it in or release it. It's been a bit frantic and short staffed around here lately..." The information he needed popped up on the screen and his brow knitted. "Umm..." Confused eyes looked back at the law enforcement staring down at him.

"What?" Sara asked, noting his expression. "Do you have the information we need?"

"Yeah...but..." He turned the screen so they could see what he was looking at. "Didn't you say your name was Sara Sidle?"

Sara felt her pupils dilate as she stared at a copy of her own driving licence on the screen. Her lips worked in very nervous circles and she slowly faced her boss, totally dumbfounded as to what to say. "This is crazy..." she mumbled.

Stepping forwards Russell refrained from jumping to conclusions and gazed at the screen. Brass did also although his eyes were more questioning.

Sara on the other hand took a step back as her mind whirled. He was doing it to her again. Invading her life, her privacy and more than likely, her home... She just knew it.

"How was the reservation for the rental made?" Russell asked quickly. "What time and with what form of payment?"

Carson flicked to another screen. "Made at 9.30am this morning over the internet and paid with a credit card." He flicked the cursor down a little. "Credit card was..." He swallowed, "...is in the name of Sara Sidle."

Both Brass and Russell turned to look at Sara.

She shook her head, shakily pointing at the screen. "_I did not rent that car_!" she growled.

Russell looked up, pondering his next move. He worked his jaw as he looked back to the screen. "Can you trace an internet booking?" he asked.

Carson shook his head. "Afraid not."

"_Tell me_ you believe me," Sara demanded, feeling a burn of fury seeping through her veins. "_Why, in the name of, God_, would I rent that car? That car that kidnapped _my _husband?"

She laughed now but not in jest, her anger growing as she moved forward back to the desk. "Do you think _I_ planned this? _Do you_ think _I_ kidnapped the one and only man I've ever loved?" She slammed her hands down on the furniture now and everyone jumped, all a little shocked. "Because that's _exactly_...what he wants you to think!" she stated.

She smirked, holding her arms high in the air. "But why would you believe me? It's not like you did last time." Her words were very bitter now.

"Sara, calm down," Russell advised, holding out a hand and taking her arm.

She looked him in the eye, her forehead bearing a deep frown of disgust.

This finding actually aided Russell's thoughts as to who was behind this and he had absolutely zero suspicion it was Sara. This had Basderic's MO written all over it and he knew exactly what he'd put Sara through before. This whole situation was ringing those very same bells.

"I believe you, okay?" he said softly. "He's a very clever man, Sara, and unfortunately, he's ten steps ahead of us right now," Russell replied simply but sincerely. He released her arm and her frown loosened some. "He's enjoying messing with you and this just wastes more of our time."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Are you going to bring him in?" she asked quietly now.

Russell exchanged a look with Brass. "You know I can't do that yet."

Massaging her forehead with her right hand, Sara blew out a breath. Her frustration was very evident. She shrugged her shoulders. "So now what?"

"The first thing I suggest is that you call your bank and get all your cards cancelled before they get used again." He gave her a knowing look.

Sara gave a short nod.

He kinked his head towards the opposite side of the office. "Go and do it now, we'll carry on here."

"Okay," she whispered, sighing as she stepped away.

"This is all getting very crazy," Brass said as he moved to stand by the supervisor.

Russell nodded his agreement. "Yet I fear this is just the beginning."

"You think it's Basderic?" the captain now questioned.

The CSI faced the lawman. "My gut seems to think so."

Brass rubbed his chin. "I'm looking forward to bringing him in. I haven't had the pleasure of making his acquaintance yet."

Why did Russell actually dread that moment? He knew how close Brass was to Sara and how he had a long history with Grissom. The lawman would by no means probably admit his feelings for what was happening but Russell could sense it.

Returning his attention to the manager, Russell pointed back at the computer screen. "How were the keys collected for this car and at what time?"

Carson turned to his assistant. "Do you know Maggie? You were here this morning..."

Maggie nodded. "Um...a woman collected them around _10.30_." She pointed to the screen and the picture on Sara's driving licence. "It did kinda look like her but come to think of it, I wouldn't be sure it was the same person now. She wore sunglasses and a head scarf so I didn't really get that much of a look at her but she did cross me as odd considering she was covered up so much."

"So you gave a car to someone when you weren't really sure of her identity?" Brass questioned.

"Well...um..." Maggie stuttered now. "I didn't...mean to...she had all the right documents...I've been so behind on paperwork and...I didn't have time to..."

Brass narrowed his eyes not entirely satisfied with the lack of procedure. She stopped rambling noticing the look on his face.

"It doesn't matter now," Russell said, looking around. "You have any CCTV?"

"No," Carson replied with a shrug. "We don't carry much cash and haven't had any problems. Most things are done electronically these days."

That wasn't what Russell wanted to hear. "Great..." he mumbled, spinning in a circle to look around the entire office.

Maggie stepped around the desk. "I do remember a man though...if it...helps..."

Russell stopped spinning, his right foot slamming to the floor and he looked directly at her with a purpose, Brass too, "A man?" the supervisor questioned.

Walking towards the main doors, Maggie nodded. "I left to go grab some breakfast right after the woman picked up the keys for her rental. I just about followed her out. I wasn't really paying that much attention but I'm sure she was talking to a man right by the car."

"Did you see if the man left in the car?" Brass asked, approaching the doors.

"No," Maggie admitted. "I just passed right on by, didn't think anything of it."

Now Russell stepped up, his curiosity blooming. "Did you get a look at the man?"

Maggie's face creased. "Not really. He was dressed all in black and was wearing a hood. I may have got a quick look at his face but I don't know if I'd recognise him again or not."

"But maybe you could?" Brass pushed, sounding a little more confident. The fact the man was dressed in black matched with their CCTV footage from the airport, so they could have found their kidnapper.

Maggie shrugged. "Maybe..."

Brass licked his lips as he and DB caught each other's eye lines. The supervisor fished in his pocket and pulled out a small tablet. He flicked over the screen looking for a photograph. He found the one he was looking for. One of Ronald Basderic.

He held out the small appliance. "Is this the man?"

Drawing closer to the CSI, Maggie looked at the small screen. Her head titled from left to right as she concentrated on the picture before her. "Um...it could be...although I saw him more from the side. That picture isn't all that helpful."

"But you're not saying it's not him, right?" Russell probed.

"Like I said, I'm not sure. It might be, it might not be. Sorry..."

Russell gave Brass his undivided attention. "Well, that should be enough for us to just ask a few polite questions, don't you think?"

"Right..." Brass agreed smugly.

"Do you think, if we needed you to, you could possibly identify the man who was outside in a line up?" Russell then asked.

Now Maggie looked a little panicked. "Oh, I don't know, isn't that a little dangerous? What did he do anyway? You said someone had been kidnapped. I really don't think I want to be getting involved in that..."

Sara returned, cutting the conversation short.

"Get it sorted?" Brass asked her.

"Yeah," Sara replied, slipping her phone back into her pocket. "The bank is going to let me know if anyone tries to use my cards again." She noticed Maggie in between the two men, "Something going on here?"

Russell cleared his throat. "Thank you, Maggie, you've been very helpful but if you could give the captain your home address and contact number, we might need to talk to you again. Okay? Might make up for your little slip up earlier..."

The assistant nodded and took Brass back to the desk in order to give him her information.

"Does she know something?" Sara continued with her questioning feeling something was happening.

Russell pointed outside. "She saw a man with our rental suspect earlier. Didn't get a great look at his face but, I showed her a photo and she isn't putting off one hundred percent that it could have been Basderic. She's not sure without a better look."

"But that's suspicion, and that's enough to bring him in right?"

Russell nodded. "For an unofficial chat yes and that's only if he co-operates. I don't think the Sheriff would give us a warrant going on just this if he doesn't. At least not without a positive I D."

"Well let's go find out," Sara said keenly heading for the door.

"Oh no..." Russell was quick to reach out and grab her arm one more time. He shook his head. "You're not going _anywhere_ near him, whether we manage to bring him in or not."

The look she gave him could have killed an already dead corpse.

"Don't look at me like that, Sara," he warned. "I'm already pushing the boundaries here with you even working on this case. Let alone allowing you to have any influence on anything that happens with Ronald Basderic."

"I want that son of a bitch," she growled.

He gave her a mock smile. "Me too but I will warn you once and once only, you go anywhere near him and I will suspend you and you will no longer be helping with this."

Now Sara took a step back, stunned by his threat. How could he say that?

"_He will use you_," her supervisor warned. "And he will use you against any evidence we collect. And he will win unless we have something air tight because the department is already running scared for fear or being sued."

Sara looked away, folding her arms firmly across her chest.

He sighed but he knew he was right. "I'll drop you back at the lab and then go with Jim to bring Basderic in. Help Finn and Greg. They could use the assistance."

Now she sighed, fighting off the angry tears which were forming. She just about managed to look at him but she wasn't happy. "Fine."

**A/N: Oh poor Sara. She really is getting herself set up again isn't she? My brain hurts, lol. Please let me know what you think. The next chapter is almost done but I guess it depends how badly you want it :D**


	7. Don't make me regret it

**A/N: I realize emotions may be running a little high right now on the back of a certain interview but that will not change my perspective on my writing and I sincerely hope it will not change yours as readers.**

**So as they say, I will get on with the show. **

**Thank you so much for your reviews, I feel very happy that this story is pinching a few nerves. It is certainly pinching my brain cells. Mwahaha! Evil hat loves it! *Pets hat***

**Thank you so much to PrintDust for the rockin beta. Please feel free to kick my butt at any time. I will bow and take your advice with the greatest of pleasure. **

**PLEASE keep reviewing. Your reviews make me continue for without you who read, why do I write?**

**Ok, enough rambling, let's go cripple something…. **

Chapter 6

The trio left the office and were about to head off to their own vehicles when Brass' cell rang.

He swiped his thumb over the screen to accept the call before holding the device to his ear. "Yeah?" he answered.

Sara and Russell waited while he finished the conversation, both of their eyes fixed on his face while they waited for a clue about the nature of the call. Sara crossed her arms impatiently over her chest and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Where?" he asked, pulling out his car keys, looking to his colleagues. "Okay. We'll be right there." He hung up the phone and deposited it into his pocket.

"Be right where?" Sara questioned immediately. "You need to go and bring Basderic in."

Brass ran his tongue across his teeth. "They found the rental car," he informed them. "Probably best we take a look at that first, huh?"

Russell looked down at Sara and she wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"Everyone else is busy; let's go process the car, okay?" Russell recommended. "It might give us more leverage on Basderic and questioning him..."

Sara nodded, shrugging her shoulders dejectedly. "Okay..."

Russell opened his truck door as Sara moved around to the passenger side. "Where's the car?" he asked Brass.

Brass pointed over his shoulder. "Outskirts of town." He slid behind the wheel of his own car. "Follow me."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The CSI's and the captain were quick to reach the scene where the Honda had been dumped. It was a back alley behind a shopping complex.

They were all swift in departing their respective vehicles. Sara grabbed her kit and they all ducked under the crime scene tape which had already been set up. Mitch was standing guard while a few other officers looked around the scene, documenting anything unusual. The man was quick to acknowledge his boss.

"What've we got, Mitch?" Brass asked, glancing at the abandoned vehicle.

The officer pointed to a double garage, inside of which sat the vehicle in question. "Matches the description of the APB. The restaurant owner over there called it in when he was taking out the trash and noticed the garage was open. He said he's never seen the garage left open before. He checked inside and found the car. The doors were open and there was no one around so he thought best to let us know in case someone had broken into it or something."

"Anyone see who dumped it?"

Mitch shook his head. "No one is owning up to seeing anything."

"Good place to move Grissom to another vehicle," Brass said to the CSI's taking a quick look inside the garage. He looked to the street. "I'll take a look around".

Sara clicked her camera into action, snapping a few shots before stepping into the large space. She placed her kit by the car and circled around it, getting a few more shots before slipping latex gloves onto her hands. Russell was quickly by her side, doing the same. He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and shone it inside the back seat. Sara moved to the front, flinging her camera strap over her shoulder.

She immediately saw the paper on the passenger seat and leaned in to grab it. "What you got?" Russell asked.

Unfolding the paper, Sara looked at the words upon it and her chin quivered. She passed her boss the paper. "That…looks like my hand writing but it's not…"

He sighed. "Another little game…" He handed her the paper back with a sympathetic look. "Bag it."

Russell spotted a roll of duct tape on the floor. He picked it up and examined it closely. Sara looked back over the front seat to him, noticing the tape.

The supervisor detected all sorts of bits and pieces, including a few hairs stuck to the side of the roll. "Pass me a bag," he directed.

On a heavy swallow, Sara reached into her kit and pulled out an evidence bag. She handed it to him over the seat but as she went to pull away he took hold of her hand. "Are you okay?" he asked, his tone concerned. "I could get one of the others here if..."

"No -," She cut him immediately short. "I'll be okay." Her words shivered a little.

He studied her closely but nodded.

Both went back to inspecting the car, the supervisor continuing to look over the floor as the first point of call. "Got a little…some kind of rock or granite on the floor here," he spoke out loud, pinching a little of the hard red substance between his fingers. "I'll get a sample..."

Sara checked the driver's seat, carefully inspecting every inch of it. She got several strands of hair caught in the headrest and closed her eyes recalling the vision of her husband being suffocated and then dragged into the back. She bagged the hairs even though she knew they were his. The color alone gave that away.

After checking the other seat, the dash and the side wells she then came to the floor, also noticing a few lumps of rock upon the rubber matting. "Got some of that stuff up here too," she informed her boss. She looked to him as he was checking the back seats. "I'd guess that our suspect was the one with this in his shoes." She thought for a moment before continuing. "Gil wouldn't have had his feet on the floor once he'd been knocked out. I'm pretty sure he would have been restrained and laid down so no one could see him. So his feet wouldn't have touched the floor in the back…"

"Good call," Russell commended. "You got anything else?"

Sara shook her head. "Not immediate to the eye but once it's back at the lab…"

He sighed. "Yeah, the whole thing will need printing but I'm not going to be naive enough to think he left us one." He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. "Let's have a look in the trunk."

Sara popped the trunk and they both exited the car. They walked around the back of the vehicle and Sara stopped with a jolt when she saw Grissom's entire set of luggage was still there. Nothing had been opened. The bags and cases were still zipped closed. Obviously the kidnapper didn't want to waste any time with the bags. Either that or the luggage was by no means on his agenda.

"Let's," Russell closed the trunk again, "just leave that till the car gets to the lab, okay? I'll let you sort it."

All Sara did was nod and turned away from the car, shinning her flashlight around the garage.

Not long after, a tow truck arrived outside.

Brass reappeared and approached the female CSI who was now looking at the ground. "Find anything?"

Sara huffed. "A few things but nothing major yet..." Her right eye twitched as she walked to very back of the garage and spotted some marks on the floor. "Got some tire treads," she called to her boss, pulling her camera from over her shoulder. "Possibly caused because our driver was going too fast upon arrival in his pick up vehicle and braked to avoid hitting the wall…"

Russell stepped up behind her as she snapped numerous angles of the imprint on the floor. "Well, I bet that's one mistake he didn't check. Make sure you get those pictures processed as soon as you get back to the lab to see if we can find a trace."

Sara nodded.

"Don't put too much hope on it though. There are lots of vehicles in Nevada."

She worked her tongue between the gap in her teeth. Would they ever find anything that would give them some hope?"

Russell continued. "I'm going to leave you to finish up here, okay?"

Sara blinked, lowering her camera and giving him a _what_ look. "Where are you going?"

"To pick up a suspect, remember?"

"Oh…yeah…"

He held out his truck keys. "I'll ride with Jim. Get what you can from here and then get back to the lab and work on the car and evidence we get from it. Right now it's one of the best things we've got."

She nodded again.

"Don't do anything stupid," he warned, just in case. There was no guarantee they were going to find Basderic, so there wouldn't be anything stopping Sara from having her own look around.

She angrily snatched the keys from him. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Just put yourself in my shoes," he continued. "I shouldn't even be leaving you alone right now. I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it."

She pouted. "I won't," she agreed on a sigh.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

A substantial amount of the level four parking deck had been sealed off. About half a dozen police officers, along with Nick and Morgan, searched the area and the stairwell. They concentrated on the route the man in black had taken, going over every scrap of flooring he had walked upon. They had yet to see on the CCTV footage where he had entered the airport, but they had to wait on Finn for that information.

All they had found so far was the drugged tainted cloth used to subdue Grissom. No doubt his kidnapper had just thrown it inconsequentially out of the car window.

"You got anything else yet?" Morgan called to Nick as he crouched down to the ground, shinning his torch over a piece of red rock.

He stood and flicked his torch from left to right. "Got some granite!" he shouted. "I think…"

He pulled out his tweezers, placed the piece of rock into a bag and slipped it into his pocket. Morgan came up behind him. "Granite?" she questioned. "That's it? Not much of a breakthrough…"

Nick shrugged. "It's out of place - something that shouldn't be here." He pointed to the exit door, keeping his flashlight on the ground as he approached it. They found one more piece en route and bagged it. Then the CSI's stopped by the door.

"So all we need to do now is find a man in black with stones in his shoes, case solved."

The male CSI glared at his co worker. "You need to take this seriously," he warned. "Grissom means a lot. To a lot of us…"

She sighed. "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood a little."

Now he sighed. "There's nothing else up here." He flashed his beam on the door.

"You going to print it?" she asked.

"Not much point," he said. "Hundreds of people have been through here since the incident and from what I saw on the CCTV, our man was wearing gloves so he wouldn't have left us anything." He huffed again. "Too many shoe and boot marks as well. We'd never get a single one to match with anything."

The door opened and an officer walked out. He shook his head. "Nothing down there. From top to bottom. Either the cleaners have been out or our guy is very tidy."

Nick flicked off his flashlight looking more and more frustrated. "Thanks," he said, slipping his fingers into his belt.

His cell rang and he answered it noting the caller was Greg. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Nick," Greg began.

"What you got?"

"I'm working on the CCTV form the parking deck. Thought you would want to know our suspect dropped the car off just before _11:15am_. He left via the east exit door and then goes out of a fire door on the ground level. He comes back about twenty minutes later and goes back to the car where he waits inside."

Nick ran a hand through his hair. "You get a look at him?"

"No," the younger CSI sighed. "Never see his face. I think he knew where all the cameras were."

"See if you can find out where he went," Nick instructed after a moment's thought. "Maybe another camera picked him up somewhere. I'm guessing he went to give the car keys to the guy who met Grissom at the airport."

Greg cleared his throat. "Okay, I'll get on it now."

Nick hung up and looked to his co-worker. "Let's go see if we can locate our cab driver. I'm very keen to have a chat with him."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Nick and Morgan exited airport arrivals accompanied by Tom and an officer. The security guard had printed them both a picture of the cab driver's face from the CCTV so they knew who they were looking for.

Nick looked up and down the line of cabs waiting to pick up eager arrivals. "Damn, there are a lot of cars here," he grumbled.

"Well…" Morgan checked up and down the line. "Let's start in the middle and work ourselves out, I'll go left, you go right," she suggested.

The level three CSI nodded. "Okay," he replied moving off to his right as Morgan moved to her left.

Morgan was followed by the cop while Tom went off with Nick.

The CSI's checked each cab as they continued by the line. Popping their heads in the driver's windows and comparing the photo to the driver.

Alas, they both got to the end of the line with little success. Their man wasn't there.

Morgan rubbed at her aching neck after checking the last cab and her stomach rumbled. Damn she was hungry. She hadn't had chance to eat before she got called back in. She looked off into the distance to see Nick coming back her way.

She set off back towards the arrival doors and decided to grab herself a little something to eat from one of the shops inside. But, just when they were a few feet away their man walked out, shoving a doughnut into his mouth.

Quickly, she checked the photograph in her hand, it was definitely him. "That's him," she whispered to the officer, quickly approaching the man.

"Excuse me?" she said, stopping right in front of him.

He swallowed the mouthful of doughnut and gave her an uneventful look.

"Yeah?"

"My name is Morgan Brody," she informed him. "I'm with the crime lab."

He shrugged his shoulders. "And?"

"And, we'd like to ask you some questions about a package you delivered earlier…"

The cab driver picked up the cop as he hovered behind Morgan and his eyes widened. Without any warning, he pushed the CSI hard and she fell into her chaperone. Both of them unceremoniously tumbled to the ground as the man turned and ran. Unluckily for him, he ran right into Nick, and the CSI was quick to tackle him to the ground.

"Going somewhere, Bud?" Nick shouted, getting the man onto his stomach and yanking his arms behind his back.

"I didn't do anything!" the man cried out as Nick firmly pressed his knee into his back. "Get the hell off me!"

The CSI pushed a little harder, gritting his teeth. "So why are you running, man?" He looked up to see Morgan and the officer approaching. "You okay?" he asked.

Morgan wiped herself over. "Yeah. He just took me by surprise."

Nick nodded to the officer. "You wanna take over here?"

The officer gave a swift nod and whipped out his cuffs. He cuffed the man and hauled him to his feet.

"Get him down to the station; we'll talk to him there."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Finn was in the AV lab with Archie. They both listened to the recording Russell had handed over to them for the first time. When the recording had finished, they both sat back looking stunned.

Archie puffed out his cheek. "Damn, that was heavy."

The female CSI gave a nod of agreement. "Yeah," she sighed.

Taking the recording equipment, Archie began fixing it up to his computer. "You know, I never imagined I'd be doing this, pulling an audio apart with Grissom as the victim," he said.

Finn pulled her chair closer to the computer. "You knew him well?" she asked.

He nodded. "You could say that. He started tapping at keys. "He's a great man. A lot us around here still miss him."

"Did you ever tell him that?"

Archie smiled. "Nah. Grissom wasn't really the kind of guy who liked ass-kissing. Hodges can tell you that, he tried all the time."

Now Finn smiled. "Speaking of Hodges…While you're setting that up, I'll go see how he's getting on."

"Sure," Archie agreed.

She stood. "Let me know if you find anything before I get back."

"Will do."

Finn rushed out the door and down the corridor of the lab in search of Hodges. She quickly found him and she entered the room. He had all the lettering from the divorce paper hanging on clips. The paper itself as well as the envelope and the box, were all bagged separately seemingly finished with.

He looked over his shoulder sensing her entrance. "You know, I didn't think anyone's divorce would create chaos like this," he said insensitively.

"That's not funny," Finn shot right back at him. "And Sara and Grissom aren't divorced."

He went to open his mouth but she stopped him by placing a quick and firm hand over his mouth. "Whatever they are has nothing to do with anyone else but them. We have better things to do than gossip. Like finding the one man I've heard you looked up to. So, how about we do that rather than riding aboard the rumor train huh?"

Her words seemed to filter through him and he pointed to his desk. She removed her hand.

"The lettering is just standard, run of the mill; you can buy it from anywhere that sells stationary. Same for the glue used to stick them down and the paper. So, I highly doubt we will ever trace where it was bought. There are thousands of stores that sell this stuff."

Finn folded her arms. "Any prints?"

He hesitated but answered. "Yeah, a thumb print."

She tensed, looking surprised. "Did you check it?" she asked with urgency.

His brow rose and he blew out a breath.

"Don't tell me-," she cut herself short, shaking her head.

"The print is Sara's…"

**A/N – Eeeepp… and the plot thickens…. **


	8. The man she hated

**A/N: Sadly my writing time has been minimal this past week or so, so things are moving a little slower than I'd like them too. Alas, real life is something I can't help.**

**But, here's a new chapter and I thank you for your patience. This chapter is quite long though so hopefully that will make up a little for the waiting time :)**

**Also, huge thanks for your reviews and comments. They will always mean a great deal to me so please keep them coming.**

**Evil hat continues to be, well, evil. Lol. He hurts my brain sometimes as does this story. So much to think about…. Ugh.**

**Big, big thanks to PrintDust for the beta and all the suggestions on this one. You add that extra advice that I need :D Thank you, Hun.**

**So, on with the evidence hunting… Mwahaha. **

Chapter 7

Finn rubbed her forehead. "Well, let's not go jumping to any conclusions about that shall we, Hodges?" she said to the lab rat.

"There are only certain things you can actually conclude from that," the Lab Rat retorted.

"Yeah well…" Finn narrowed her eyes at him, "…just keep _your opinions_ to yourself. Especially, after what happened last time. DB and DB only will decide what happens with that. You got anything else?"

He rolled his eyes and moved so he was standing next to the box. "Yeah, something a little _odd_," he hesitated on how to describe his findings.

Stepping in closer, she watched him. "Odd?" she asked curiously.

"That," he pointed to the box. "It has a purpose."

"What kind of purpose?" she questioned with a frown. "It's a box."

He smiled. "Actually, it's a takeout box."

Finn shook her head her features looking very puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"I found traces - very small traces, of chocolate cake in it. A few crumbs in a couple of the corners. Not something Russell or Sara would have noticed because their attention was on the paper." His voice oozed smugness, proud of the discovery that his boss had failed to spot.

She laughed now. "Chocolate cake? What does that have to do with anything?"

He shrugged. "Beats me, but before that box became the carrier for that," he pointed to the array of letters and paper on the desk, "one way or another, it had chocolate cake in it. Maybe the kidnapper is a sugar-junkie or something." He folded his arms, a smile gracing his lips. "I used to be a sugar-junkie. Processed sugar used to make me so hyper active my mother almost had to tie me down. I only eat raw or cane now so I don't..."

Finn's brow rose. "Erm…right…okay…" she cut him short. "Not relevant but, anyway, something tells me it's a bit more than that a sugar obsession. I just wish I knew what."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Nick stood by his vehicle on level two of parking. Morgan was already seated in the SUV, keen to get back to the lab to interview their suspect. Nick thought it best to touch base with his boss before they left. Plucking his cell from his pocket, he hit call.

"Hey, Russell, it's me," Nick said, his Texan drawl echoing around the deck.

"What you got, Nick?" the supervisor asked, looking through the window of Brass's squad car, noting they had turned into the street where Basderic resided.

"Not much in the deck: a chloroformed rag, and a few bits of granite or something. I don't know whether that's relevant or not."

"Granite?" There was silence from Russell for a moment and the car pulled up outside the house. "We found the rental. There was granite in that too."

Nick's eyes widened with a spur of interest, "No kidding?"

"No," Russell replied flatly.

"We got the cab driver too. Taking him downtown for questioning. He tried to run."

"Good," Russell shot back. "Get everything from him you can, if you get back PD before me. We should be back at the lab within the hour. We're picking Basderic up for a friendly chat. I've got to go. I'll see you when I get back to base."

He hung up before Nick could even question him about Basderic.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Brass smiled as the door opened and Ronald Basderic stared back at him. Basderic's teeth notably nipped into his bottom lip and his brow furrowed.

The captain looked the man over. Beige pants, checked shirt, leather shoes. He seemed pretty clean and tidy. Brass then took a quick glimpse through the door noting the house was organized and pretty spotless when it came to cleanliness. He also noticed a lot of plants and smirked to himself. Maybe this psycho was a nature lover.

"Ronald Basderic?" Brass asked but didn't wait for a reply. He just held up his badge. "Captain, Jim Brass," he announced.

The younger man seemed to swallow and then caught Russell standing behind the captain. "What is this?" he demanded. "Harassment already? Sara send you to do her dirty work, Russell?"

The grave shift supervisor rounded the captain to make his presence very well know. He looked Basderic right in the eye, feeling a little anger flowing through him. The smug look on Basderic's face and his attitude sickened him, but it heightened his suspicion that this man was guilty.

"We would like to talk to you, down at the station," Russell calmly replied.

"Why?" Basderic asked.

"We can discuss that when we get there," Brass said, "If you would be kind enough to spare us half an hour of your time?"

Basderic's eyes narrowed a little. "Why would I want to discuss anything with you? Am I under arrest?"

"No," Russell replied with haste and with a sigh. "We would," he bit down on his tongue, "like for you to aid us with some enquiries. You were possibly seen near an important location today and we just need to clear a few things up. Okay?"

"Possibly?" the younger man sniggered. "Important location? Location to what?"

He didn't get an answer and folded his arms. "And if I say no?"

Now Brass's cool faltered a little and he took a step closer causing Basderic to unfold his arms and widen his eyes with a hint of alarm.

"Then we will get a warrant to pull you in for a lineup. If that's what you want," Brass knew he might not get a warrant, but he hoped Basderic wouldn't think about that.

Russell noticed as Basderic's eyes flickered for a few seconds. He was obviously thinking and then the CSI watched as the formerly accused murderer took another heavy swallow. The mention of a lineup obviously didn't sit well with their suspect.

"_Fine_," Basderic snapped. He reached to a table by the door and picked up his jacket and house keys. "Let's go."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara arrived back at the lab and rushed through the front main entrance with her bag of evidence, keen to get to the garage to work on the rental car which had just been towed around the back.

She noticed many eyes upon her again, but this time they were more sympathetic than accusing.

Sighing, she went in search of Hodges to drop the evidence off.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Hodges said as he spotted Sara coming his way through the glass.

Finn scowled at him as Sara walked into the room holding up the bag. She definitely looked like she was in a hurry.

"Evidence from the rental that took Gil," she informed him. "It needs processing."

Hodge's just stared at her looking unimpressed and she frowned.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Oh, just that _I_ found your print on the paper." The arrogance in his words was very evident.

Sara blinked, a fake smile forming on her lips. "What?" she scoffed.

"I think you heard me," he accused. "You're contaminating my lab - _agai_n."

The level three CSI sighed in disbelief. He was doing it again. Suspecting her. "I _am not_ the one on trial here and I have no idea what you're talking about," she spat. "And I'll tell you what, David: you can think whatever the hell you want. I don't care anymore."

"That's obvious," he snapped.

Sara was ready for a full on verbal fight with him now but she was cut short.

"That's enough, David!" Finn warned, taking the bag from Sara and holding it in front of his face. "Process this, and do it _now_," she demanded.

He took the bag and turned away on a huff.

Sara looked like she was about to punch him but Finn took her arm and led her from the room.

"_How dare he_?" Sara growled. "Does he have _any_ idea how I feeling right now?"

Finn gave her a look of understanding. "You know what he's like."

Sara shook her head. "I don't feel like I know him at all anymore. Ever since…" She stopped, not really wanting to recall what had previously happened with Basderic. She closed her eyes for a second, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I -," Sara continued, pointing over her shoulder. "I need to go." She pulled her camera from her shoulder. "I have to check out these tracks and then process the car."

"You want some help?"

Sara shrugged. "Do you have time?"

Finn nodded and they walked into a free processing room. "Archie can handle the tape recording. He'll call me if he finds anything. Greg is working on the CCTV with a couple of guys from days. Hodges has finished with the package you got, so yeah, I can help you."

Rubbing the back of her neck Sara sighed heavily. "So what exactly did Hodges find?" she dared to ask placing her camera on the desk by the computer.

Slipping her hands into her pockets, Finn also exhaled a breath. "Your thumbprint on the divorce paper."

Sara just shrugged. "I suppose I should have expected something as much. Anything else?"

Finn stopped so then did Sara. "What do you mean expected it?"

Pouting, Sara took the memory card from her camera and inserted it into the computer reader. "It seems most things we are finding are linking to me in some way."

"How so?"

"Well," Sara spun to face her female coworker. "I rented the car that kidnapped my husband…_apparently_." She turned away, sat and began tapping the keyboard in order to load her memory card.

Finn laughed. "Are you serious?"

"Oh, yeah," Sara replied with a hint of sarcasm. "He's got _all _the bases covered right now and he's really digging me into a great big hole."

Finn cupped a tender hand over Sara's right shoulder. "Just don't bite and fall into it, will you?"

Sara smiled as she watched her memory card load up and the pictures from the rental scene pop up on the screen. She scrolled to the tire treads and pulled the best shot onto full screen. "Did he find anything else?"

"Yeah, something weird," Finn continued.

"Like what?"

Taking a seat next to her associate Finn looked at the tire marks. "Chocolate cake."

Sara frowned and paused. "What?"

"There were traces of chocolate cake in the box. Not sure what purpose it might have."

Sara shook her head as her gut pinched. "I do."

"Oh…"

On a heavy swallow, Sara continued. "That night at the hotel when, Taylor joined me. He gave me a piece of chocolate cake for my birthday. It had a candle in it." She swallowed again, recalling how Basderic had crippled her with the information that he'd set all that up. A tear brimmed in her right eye. "I found out later it came from Basderic. Again, he's toying with me. Can you see that?"

Finn smiled as Sara glanced at her. "I think I'm beginning to."

Sara sighed, looking back at the screen.

"Did DB not come back with you?" Finn asked, trying to change the subject.

"No," Sara began, concentrating on the screen now. "He went to pick up Basderic."

Finn looked a little surprised but didn't push Sara for answers at this point. "These tracks were by the rental?" she asked, trying to keep the subject positive.

Nodding, Sara took the mouse and clicked around the photograph, highlighting the tire marks. "In the garage where we found the car." She pushed search and the computer went into action.

The two CSI's waited as the program began flicking through numerous tracks stored in the database, trying to find the right match.

Within a minute the screen flashed red, alerting the investigators it had found an answer to their question.

Both Finn and Sara leaned forward as the screen split into two and the matching vehicle appeared on the right hand side of the screen.

"Ford Edge SUV," Finn read from the screen. She then sighed. "Do you have any idea how many of those there are in circulation?"

Sara dejectedly flicked a pencil across the desk. "Thousands…"

"Come on," Finn stood and kinked her head towards the door. "That's not going to help us unless we have a suspect car to go with it. We can check what kind of car Basderic has now when DB brings him in. Let's go check out the rental."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The cab driver waited nervously in the interview room, staring down at his cuffed wrists and then to the cop who was guarding the door.

"Any chance I can get these taken off?" he asked his babysitter, holding up his hands.

Ignoring the question, the cop just stared back to the wall.

The man sighed but then the door opened. Nick walked in holding a file, while Morgan followed.

Both the CSI's sat and Nick opened the file.

"So," Nick picked up the top paper, the man's rap sheet. "You are Earl Trent, correct?"

Earl nodded and held up his hands again. "Look, please take these off. I didn't do anything."

"You pushed an officer to the ground as well as my colleague. Why run if you didn't do anything?" Nick questioned.

"I panicked, okay? I made a mistake."

Nick's eyes narrowed. He had the feeling this guy was not the criminal mastermind they sought. He was way too nervous. "If I take the cuffs off are you going to be honest with me?"

"Yes," Earl replied immediately.

Looking over his shoulder to the cop, Nick nodded to him and the officer swiftly stepped up to the detainee and took off the cuffs.

Earl rubbed his wrists. "Thanks," he mumbled.

Nick half smiled. "So, you have an interesting rap sheet here," he said, flipping through Earl's notes.

"Hey," Earl held up a finger. "I was a kid when all that happened. It was over twenty years ago!"

"Quite the rap-sheet indeed: Grand theft auto, robbery, criminal damage," Nick continued.

The older man leaned forwards, entwining his fingers. "Like I said, that was a long time ago. I paid by debt to society and I sorted my life out. I'm married now, I have two kids."

"So why would you get involved in a kidnapping?" Morgan cut in.

"What?" Earl's pupils dilated, almost doubling in size, and his posture noticeably tensed. He slowly shook his head. "I - I don't know anything about a kidnapping. I may have done something," he shrugged. "Well," now he rubbed the back of his neck. "It was just easy money, but I didn't kidnap anyone."

Pulling a photograph from the file, Nick slid it across the desk. "Do you know this man?" he asked.

Earl looked down at the picture. "Oh shit…" he mumbled.

"I'll take that as a yes," Nick replied, pulling the picture back.

"Wait. Wait!" Earl pointed to the picture. "I don't _know_ him." The elderly man looked to everyone in the room with a hint of desperation on his face. "I saw him for the first and only time today for about two minutes." He held up his hands. "That's all."

Nick licked his lips considering whether he believed Earl or not. "Well, not long after he met with you, he was jumped, drugged and taken from the parking deck."

"I don't know anything about that," the cab driver immediately insisted. "I swear. I didn't see him again after I'd given him that envelope."

Now Morgan took her turn and fiddled a pen between her fingers. "Tell us about the envelope. Where you got it from and why you delivered it to him."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Finn began printing the car from front to back, starting inside. She was working on the wheel when Sara opened the trunk.

Staring down at the bags, Sara donned in a pair of latex gloves, took each piece of luggage out of the trunk and placed it on the garage floor. Her lips twitched as her eyes passed over two of the suitcases. She recognized them. It was a pair they had bought together during their time in Costa Rica. That had been such a happy time and then it was cut short when she returned to Vegas to help out the lab.

She never would have imagined Vegas would be where she stayed. Not after everything that had happened and the reasons she'd left.

Trying to put her feelings aside and focus on the task at hand, she knelt on the floor, flipped the clip on the first case and opened it. Sitting back on her heels, she looked over the array of Grissom's shirts that greeted her. She inhaled, sensing that familiar smell that was all him and nothing else. She missed that smell so much.

Taking the shirts from the case and stacking them up, she halted when she came across a black, plastic file holder.

Grabbing the folder, she opened it. The entire weight of the world crushed down on her shoulders when the first thing she saw was a picture of her kissing Taylor Wynard. Her chin quivered as she flicked through the file to find more photos, all of her with the other man.

Had Grissom brought these with him? Did he know? But what did he know? Her head spun and Finn noticed her posture as she glanced through the rear view mirror.

Sliding from the vehicle Finn approached her co-worker. "You alright?" she asked.

Slowly, Sara looked up to her superior and swallowed the lump in her throat. She placed the file back in the case and pushed herself up.

She simply shook her head. "I need to take five minutes," she mumbled before walking away.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

_Interview room two._

"So what's this all about?" Basderic asked innocently now seated opposite Russell with Brass hovering behind.

Russell cut right down to the chase. Opening his file he pulled out a photograph of Grissom and slid it across the table. "You know who that is?" he asked.

Basderic lowered his head and stared at the photograph. A small smirk appeared on his puckering lips. "I'd like to deny it," he began, pushing the photograph back across the table. "But you know I do."

Brass placed both his hands on the table and leaned towards the suspect. "Now how would you know that?"

The younger man shrugged, looking the captain right in the eye. "Let's just say...I've seen his picture before."

Brass didn't like that answer for he knew this maniac had broken into Sara's home. "So you're telling me you've never actually met him face to face?" the captain then questioned.

"If that's what you're asking," Basderic replied coyly. "No. I have never met him face to face." He flicked a bit of dirt from his thumb nail. "Why are you asking me this? What does he have to do with me?"

"Gil Grissom was abducted from the airport this morning," Russell informed him.

Basderic looked to each man in turn before he laughed. "And you think I had something to do with it?" he snapped, his humor fading.

Russell ignored the question and pulled out a copy of the rental agreement for the car. "Ever been to Vegas Autos down on Freemont?"

Basderic shook his head. "No. And you didn't answer my question…"

"Let's just say we are exploring all angles." The supervisor held up the rental agreement. "So you don't know anything about a black Honda Civic that was hired from there this morning?"

"Like I said, I've never been there, so no." Basderic was cool in his replies. "I know nothing about," he pointed to the paper, "_that_ or about her husband going missing. Now he sighed. "Can we speed this up, I have things to do."

Russell entwined his fingers, giving the suspect a smile. "Like what?"

Basderic laughed. "That's my business."

"Okay," Russell dropped the paper. "So you are definitely saying that you did not have anything to do with the rental of this vehicle and have never been anywhere near..."

"No," Basderic cut him off.

Russell looked to Brass and the captain continued. "What if we told you that one of the workers saw you there this morning?"

"What?"

Oh that struck a nerve and both Brass and Russell could tell, especially by the look on the suspects face now. The smugness had disappeared, a little sweat glistened on his forehead and his eyes flickered with thought.

Basderic cleared his throat as they stared at him. "I'd say they are mistaken. I wasn't anywhere near," he waved his hands, "wherever that is."

"So where were you?

The younger man shuffled in his seat, his eyes now boring into the supervisors. "Where was I when?" he snapped.

Russell checked more notes in his file purposely keeping the question in the air in order to rattle him a little more. "Between the hours of _9.30am_ and _2pm_."

Basderic snorted. "I was released at _8.30_am this morning. Do you think the first thing I wanted to do was rent a car?"

"I'm not asking you what you wanted to do," Russell countered. "I'm asking you what you did do and whether you can account for your whereabouts between _9.30_ and _2_.

Now Basderic sighed in frustration. "I went home, okay? It's been a while since I've actually had a descent sleep. It's not much fun in a cell."

"Can anyone verify that?" Brass asked, wanting confirmation of where he was.

"Well you could ask my cat," Basderic replied smugly. "Oh wait; I don't have a cat so, no. I didn't realize sleeping was a crime."

Brass pointed a firm finger, unimpressed with the crass answer, but he was cut short when there was a knock at door and Nick poked his head in.

Both Russell and Brass looked to him but when Nick saw Basderic, their eyes clashed. Neither man looked happy to see the other.

Nick bit his tongue, realizing his interruption probably wasn't the best timing. He turned his attention to his boss. "Can I have a quick word?" he asked.

As Basderic wasn't under arrest, both the supervisor and the Captain went to see what Nick had got to say, leaving Basderic alone in the room. "Don't move," Brass warned the suspect as he left.

"I got the cab driver down the hall," Nick said to his boss, walking them both towards the other interview room.

As Brass and Russell left, Sara suddenly appeared at the far end of the room, looking through the one sided glass at the man she hated more than anything in the entire world...

**A/N: So much to think about *brain explodes*. LOL! So what's Sara going to do? Evil hat is plotting…. **


	9. I am your worst nightmare

**A/N: Mwahaha, new chapter. I love my villain and so does Evil Hat. He's being very bad lately. Time to see how the team are getting on and I think we might get a little peek at Grissom and how he's doing (probably no very well, lol). **

**Thank you for all the great reviews. I love them! Pleaaaaaaaaaseeee keep them coming. Your thoughts are what make me write, without them I fade into nothing. Why write if people don't read?**

**This chapter is unbeta'd so all and any mistakes are ALL mine. I hope there aren't too many.**

**So let's go :)**

Chapter 8

Sara glared at Basderic through the glass, her fingers clenching into tight balls. He'd brought so much pain into her life and she knew he was dead set on destroying her and everything she had ever loved.

The photographs she had just found bothered her immensely. For what they reminded her off, yes...

A terrible, drunken mistake. A mistake she wished she could take back, a drunken kiss she wished she hadn't given. An acquaintance she should have pushed away even more so upon their second encounter.

But spur of the moment choices were different to the norm of her real life. But the way she had felt lately hadn't helped. She had her reasons, not that they made her feel any better. Even though Grissom had pushed her away for what reason, she still didn't know but getting drunk and smooching a stranger was not who she was or who she wanted to be.

Sadly, loneliness and too much alcohol always made her into a different person.

What was also tearing her up was how did the pictures get into Grissom's case? She had no idea if Basderic had been in contact with Grissom somehow prior to this happening and sent him the pictures. So in essence, her husband could already know about Taylor Wynard before she'd had chance to explain. Or, Basderic had planted the photographs in the luggage after taking Grissom, teasing her. He knew they would be found.

It played havoc with her feelings and she hated him more and more just by thinking about it.

Suddenly, Basderic looked in her direction and she took a tiny step back. He stood and slowly walked towards her. It baffled her as he stared through the glass, looking right at her. He couldn't see her. How did he know she was there?

A grin formed on his lips and he raised his left hand. Sara watched as he ran his right thumb and index finger over his left ring finger. As if moving a ring up and down that wasn't even there.

Instinctively she looked to her own hand and her eyes passed over her wedding ring. She had removed it for a few short days after the whole Wynard incident but promptly slipped it back onto her finger. She felt so empty without it.

He opened his mouth and mimed three words to her. Sadly, he was facing away from the camera so she could never prove it. She'd had enough experience though with lip reading, so she knew exactly what he'd just said.

_All for you._

His grin got bigger and his menacing eyes glistened.

Her heart missed a beat. That's exactly what the kidnapper had said to her on the phone.

Now she lost all her composure, her nostrils flared and she bolted for the door to the room.

Brass and Russell just happened to round the corner of the corridor as she did and they both spotted her.

"Sara!" Russell shouted just as she barged through the door. "Shit..." He ran along with Brass to catch up with her.

She went right for Basderic as he squared himself against the mirrored window. "You son of a bitch!" she barked.

But, Russell was quick and was behind her just in time to grab her before she got any further. She fought him, making a desperate grab for the suspect.

Basderic simply and calmly took a few more steps to his left to greaten his distance from her.

"Where the hell is my husband you bastard?!" She continued to try and pull away from her boss. "I know what you're doing!" she informed him angrily.

"Jim..." Russell urged.

Biting down on his tongue, Brass took Sara's right arm as Russell took her left. "Sara stop!" the supervisor warned as she continued to struggle.

"Get her outside," Brass directed as the female CSI refused to let up.

"_Where... is he_?" she shouted. She kicked out; managing to catch a chair and it went flying across the room.

Greg ran in, hearing the commotion just as Brass and the senior CSI managed to pull Sara to the door.

"Give us a hand, Greg..." Brass said quickly.

"Jesus...what the hell's going on?" the young man asked. He then saw Basderic and got it right away.

"Sara, this isn't going to help Grissom," Greg said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder trying to calm the situation. "And if you ever want to see him again you need to calm down."

She seemed to hear his words and her fighting ceased although the fury on her face remained as she shot her friend an angry stare.

"This won't help..." Greg held out a hand. "Come with me..."

Hesitantly, Russell released his worker and then nodded to Brass to do the same. Luckily for both of them Sara allowed Greg to take her arm and lead her out of the room.

"Take her to my office," Russell advised.

Greg nodded.

Sara shrugged him off the second they were out of the room but she didn't run or anything.

"Sara, what are you playing at?" Greg questioned as they slowly walked down the corridor.

"Fuck off, Greg," she said bitterly, shooting him a look a death. "I'm really not in the mood." Her last words came on a sob and her pace increased as they headed towards the boss man's office.

Basderic pulled on his shirt collar, stepping away from the glass. "And I'm the one who has the restraining order?" he questioned. "I should have her arrested for assault."

"She didn't touch you," Brass interjected.

Basderic smirked. "But she would have though, wouldn't she?"

Russell picked up Basderic's jacket and threw it at him. "That's all the questions we have for you right now. But don't go leaving town will you?"

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it," the younger man said smoothly. "Not when I'm in the presence of such delightful company..."

Brass walked right up to him and stood very close. "What do you mean by that?" he questioned getting the sarcasm in Basderic's answer.

"Jim..." Russell warned.

The captain backed away and Basderic smirked again.

"Just one more thing," Russell said. "Can I take a look at your shoes?"

Basderic looked to his feet with a frown. "What?"

"Your shoes...can I see the soles?"

"No." The suspect shook his head and simply sniggered. "I'm not giving you anything without a warrant and if you want to talk to me again, you can go through my lawyer." He side stepped the captain, slipping on his jacket.

"We'll do just that," Russell replied bitterly. "You may well be required for a line up."

Basderic stopped dead at the door on that last comment. He thought for a moment. "As you brought me here...you need to give me a ride home..."

Now that irritated Brass. "Get a cab," he muttered.

The younger man licked his lips. "Are you paying for it? Or maybe I should go ask your boss. I'm sure he'd be elated to see me and hear the wonderful stories I have to tell about how his CSI's conduct themselves..."

Brass sighed. "Fine," he snapped. "I'll see you when I get back," he said to Russell.

"Oh..." Russell remembered something, "...talking of rides. What car do you drive Ronald?"

Basderic simply smiled. "A Toyota Corolla. Why, is that a crime too?"

Russell shook his head, pouting. "No, no crime just, curiosity. I'll be seeing you..."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell marched to his office to find Greg sitting on his desk and Sara pacing back and forth biting on her finger nails.

Instantly Greg stood upon seeing his boss and by the firm stare in the older man's eyes, Greg knew he was not happy.

Sara slowly came to a stop catching her boss's eye line.

Holding out his hand, Russell glared at his female CSI. "I want your ID and your weapon and I want them now," he demanded.

Sara blinked at him. "What?"

"I warned you what would happen if you went anywhere near him, Sara." He pulled his glasses from his face. "If he wanted to, he could probably get your ass fired right now. Everything you just did will be on the damn cameras..."

Sara wanted to argue with him, the absolute hatred for Basderic that flooded through her veins wanted her to. But he was right. She had promised not to go near the man and she had broken that promise. Arguing with her boss would not get him to change his mind.

But maybe another approach would.

"Russell...I'm sorry," she said as sincerely as she could.

He took a step back looking surprised.

"You're right. I...shouldn't have done that but he...he just about told me what he'd done." She pointed out the door. "Through the glass - He said '_all for you' _to me. Now that's exactly what he said on the phone call, you know that's what he said and I just snapped. He was taunting me. He wanted me to flip out."

"And you gave him _exactly_ what he wanted," the supervisor counted immediately. He frowned then. "Hold on - he spoke to you through the glass?"

Sara nodded.

Russell shrugged. "But how did he know you were there?"

Now she sighed. "I don't know. He just did and...he..."

"And he what?" Russell was quick with his questions, his frustration with her still obvious.

Why bother telling Russell about the finger gesture? It wasn't going to help anything. He didn't seem to believe what she was saying anyway.

"Doesn't matter," she sighed. "But..." She held up a pleading hand, "..._please_ don't suspend me. I'm _sorry_, okay? I have to help with this. I will go insane if I'm not and it will put us a man down trying to find Gil."

Russell wasn't heartless but he was professional and he had his limits. He held up a single finger. "You go near him again, _just one more time_ without my authorization and you will be on leave until this case is over. I am putting my own ass on the line for you. Do you get that?"

Sara quickly nodded. "I know he did this," she braved to say. "And I think you know it too."

He didn't exactly answer the question but he gave a vote of confidence. "Then let's find some proof." He looked to Greg. "You got anything from the CCTV yet?"

Greg shook his head, "The CCTV from the lab of the package being delivered is useless. It could be anyone. Just looks like a normal guy. His face doesn't pull any hits or previous. For all we know he could have been pulled in off the street."

Russell sat on his desk as Sara folded her arms across her chest. "Nick spoke to the cab driver who delivered the envelope to Grissom."

Sara perked up. "Does he know where Gil is?"

Smiling sympathetically, Russell scratched the top of his head. "I doubt we'd be sitting here right now if he did."

"So what does he know?" Sara questioned.

Russell shrugged. "The guy works _7am_ to _7pm_. He says that's the best time for fares. Just after _11am_ he grabbed breakfast and went back to his cab to find an envelope on the front seat with a set of instructions along with _$200_ and the promise of another _$200_ if he does what the instructions asked him to."

"Are you kidding me?" Sara asked astounded, not quite believing what she was hearing. "He found a mysterious package and a random set of instructions and just decided to..."

"Yes," the supervisor cut her short.

Sara shook her head. "Has he ever heard of a security risk?"

"Obviously not," Greg added.

"And you believe him?" Sara argued.

Russell nodded. "I actually do. He said it was easy money and couldn't see the harm in it. He simply had to wait for Grissom, give him the envelope and then call a number if and when anyone arrived asking questions about the flight from Peru."

"And he found nothing odd in that at all?" Sara complained.

Now Russell sighed. "He isn't the sharpest knife in the box. He has a family and will take whatever easy money he can."

"I'm presuming he can prove this?" Sara continued.

"He said the instructions are still in his cab and..." He glanced back to Greg, "...you need to find that on the CCTV - who put the package in his vehicle if it's on there. I don't know if there was a camera near his cab or not but that could give us our man. And see if you can trace the cell number he called. Nick has it."

The young CSI stepped away. "I'm already on it," he said disappearing from the room.

Sara held a hand to her forehead feeling a headache coming on. "How did he get the second _$200_ after doing what he was asked? And...why did he even bother? He could have just took the money and not done it at all."

"Well, if he was found once, he could be found again if he screwed whoever was paying him. He has enough passed experience to know you don't bite the hand that feeds you. And, the second _$200_ is yet to be seen. No one has handed it over to him yet."

Sara snorted. "I doubt that's likely to happen now. I presume you let Basderic go?"

Russell stood. "After your little performance I didn't have much of a choice. So yes. But if we get something solid enough, pointing to him, I'll bring him back in." He picked up a pad from his desk and scribbled a few notes down. "And he's threatened to lawyer up, so we are well into the ball park."

"What about the line up?" Sara asked now.

"I'll talk to Ecklie when he gets in but I'm certain he is going to want something a little more concrete than our guts unless he is willing to go on the _maybe_ of Maggie Williams..."

"You never know..." Sara blew out a breath. Every second that ticked by meant another second her husband was in the hands of that maniac and they were no closer now than they had been hours ago. "So what now?"

"We carry on processing. You get back to the car; I'll catch up with you when I've checked to see if anyone else has anything yet. Then I'll talk to Ecklie once I know where we stand and hope we either have something that will get us the line up or he's in a very good mood."

"Okay." Sara responded with a nod. "Although Ecklie may go with us considering this _is Gil_."

"Maybe."

"You might want to go to Hodges first otherwise he'll probably come find you himself."

Russell frowned as they walked to the door. "Why?"

Sara walked away with a sigh. "Because I'm being set up again and he's sucking it all up..."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell put Hodges off as his first point of call and went to find Greg. He needed to check something.

He found his subordinate in the AV lab and pulled a chair up to sit beside him. Archie was across the room wearing a set of headphones, so deep in thought he didn't even notice Russell enter.

"You got anything?" the supervisor asked.

"Not yet," Greg sighed. "There are only a few cameras outside and so far they all cover the main entrance not any of the external parking. But, I've still got a few others to check."

Russell nodded, looked behind, checking around and then returned his attention to the screen, pointing at it. "Leave that for a minute and pull up the labs cameras."

Greg frowned but did as he was told. "Is there a reason I'm doing this?" the younger man asked.

"Oh yeah..." Russell didn't elaborate any further. "I want the corridor outside the interview room Basderic was just questioned in and..." He looked at his watch, "...about twenty minutes ago."

The CSI brought up the labs cameras and the one Russell asked for. "Okay..."

"Now bring up the one inside the room and put them side by side."

"Ohhh...I get it," Greg said as he continued to tap keys and footage from the two cameras sprang up. "You are seeing if Sara was telling the truth. You know I can't blame her for the way she feels. She's been through a lot because of that..."

"No, Greg," Russell stopped him. "I believe her; I just want to see it to realize what kind of a freak we are dealing with here."

They watched the recording and although they couldn't see what Basderic had said, it pretty much collaborated with Sara's take on things.

"She was telling the truth." Greg looked to his boss and Russell nodded. "Was he doing something with his hands?" Greg asked. "It looked like he was."

"Yeah, it did." Russell worked his tongue over his teeth, thinking. "I think Sara is getting tired that people don't believe her again."

Greg sighed.

Russell straightened his glasses "Did you try the cell number we got from the cab driver?"

With a nod, Greg picked up the piece of paper with the number on it. "Just a standard run of the mill, buy over the counter cell phone. I've called it but no one is answering. I've put a trace on it just in case we can manage to get through to someone at some point."

Russell stood and slapped Greg on the back. "Well, keep trying and..." He nodded to the computer, "...stay on the CCTV."

Now the supervisor approached Archie and hovered behind him. He softly tapped the lab rat on the shoulder and Archie literally jumped from his seat, ripping the equipment from his head.

"Russell!" he gasped, holding his hand to his chest.

"Sorry," Russell apologized. "How's it going?"

Archie stood and stretched. He looked tired. He'd also come in on his time off as most people had and all were beginning to feel it. "Nothing yet," he admitted. "I'm starting on the background now. But there is something a little, different."

"What?" the older man asked keenly. Maybe, finally they had got something positive to work on.

"The recording, when you really get in there, almost sounds, tinny, kind of, how do I put it? Hmmm...like being in a fishbowl."

A frown pinched Russell's brow. "Like underwater?"

"No...no..." Archie shook his head. "Like underground. Enclosed. Not really any outside noise. Grissom is definitely _inside _something, I'd put money on it. I just don't know what yet."

Russell removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I suppose that's something in one way but not all that helpful in another. Let me know if you have any more progress, okay?"

Archie nodded. "Will do."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom was slumped forwards, his eyes closed, he'd passed out some time ago. Then, as the metallic screech of the sliding door opening broke the eerie silence, his eyes shot open. Well mostly. His right eye was badly swollen and would only open about three quarters of the way, obscuring his vision a little.

With a great amount of trepidation, he slowly raised his head to see his kidnapper had returned.

He stopped right in front of his captive and looked him over. He relished the fear in Grissom's eyes. It made him feel so proud of what he was achieving. He really was good at planning. But alas, one little thing had sent his plan into a tiny bit of disarray and he didn't like that. It was more of an inconvenience but he had to deal with it.

"I wasn't planning on returning so soon," he informed Grissom. "But I need you to do a little something for me and I'm in a hurry. So behave."

Grissom's nerves pinched but he remained silent.

He nodded down to his hand. "Painful?"

The small lump forming in Grissom's throat grew by the second.

The kidnapper sniggered and took his gloves from the table, slipping them onto his hands. Then he reached into his inner jacket pocket, pulling out what looked like a piece of cloth. Grissom spotted immediately though that there was something inside the cloth and he was right. His kidnapper unravelled it to reveal a knife and a very dangerous looking knife at that. A general kitchen knife but still, menacing enough.

The former CSI squirmed, groaning when he moved because it pulled at his impaled hand. His captor held up the knife and Grissom quickly shook his head, his lips trembling.

"Please..."

The younger man laughed as he stepped right up to his victim. "Oh, this isn't for you. Not yet anyway. That would be...uneventful. We've got lots to talk about and lots to..." He looked behind him to the table, "...play with yet."

That really didn't make Grissom feel any better.

"No..." he continued, reaching for the strapping around Grissom's right wrist. "I just need a little something..." He loosened the leather, just a fraction, just enough to allow him to lift Grissom's hand from the chair. All the entomologist could do, was watch as the man placed the knife under his hand and then press his fingers and thumb, one by one, onto the handle of the weapon.

Smiling with satisfaction, he pulled the knife away and retightened the strap. "There. That wasn't too hard now was it?"

Grissom was by no means stupid. Now his prints were on the knife. But what good would that be to this man?

"You're not very talkative are you?" the younger man complained as he bent to the floor and dipped the handle of the knife into some of Grissom's blood.

"I'm afraid to say anything because I'm scared of what you will do to me if I do," Grissom answered truthfully.

The kidnapper gave him a cheerful nod of agreement, placing the knife back into the cloth, wrapping it and slipping it back into his jacket. "Glad that I have that respect," he remarked. "You know I'm so glad I popped by your house earlier. Good knives are very hard to come by and your wife was so occupied trying to find you, I don't think she has a clue I even stopped by."

Although he very much wanted to, Grissom dare not make a comment about that. It certainly would get him in trouble. But now the former CSI feared his wife was also in danger. But what could he do about it? He hadn't the faintest idea what was going on.

"Okay..." The younger man continued, taking off his gloves and throwing them back to the table. "I'll give you one question before I go. One question without any...repercussions shall we say..." He grinned. "I can be a nice guy you know?"

Grissom highly doubted that and refrained from commenting on that particular question.

"Come on," the man pushed. "I have things to do. Ask me and be quick..."

Taking a breath, Grissom thought for a moment. Could he ask anything without getting another bout of this man's wrath? He needed to know so much but for now, the simplest question would probably be the safest. "Who are you?"

The man puffed out his chest and a sudden gleam appeared in his eye. He smiled but then his smile faded as he leaned over the entomologist, forcing Grissom to pin his head right back against the chair.

"My name is Ronald Basderic, Mr Grissom. And I'm your worst nightmare..."

**A/N: Worse nightmare indeed and yowza, this story hurts my brain. Trying to get all this to fit is sooooo hard, lol. I'm bound to mess up somewhere. Evil hat says it's going ok but we will see.**

**So what do we think is next? Reviews please :D Thanks!**


	10. I will never give up

**A/N: Well two chapters in a week. Must mean the mojo is rolling, lol. Evil hat is really enjoying himself btw. He's being very naughty.**

**Thanks as always for the reviews guys. **

**No beta on this, so any and all mistakes belong to the hat. Blame him.**

**So, let's see how Mr. Basderic's evil plan is getting on shall we?**

**Enjoy :)**

Chapter 9

Basderic left Grissom without saying another word once he had answered his question, leaving the former supervisor to his own confused thoughts.

Grissom had absolutely no idea who he was so the answer didn't help him any at all. He tried to move his right hand in the hope Basderic may not have strapped it back down properly.

Alas, he had.

The entomologist sucked in a sob of both pain and frustration. He'd never been in this kind of situation before but he knew from experience not many people sitting where he was would be coming out alive.

He gazed at his bloody, impaled hand, his bottom lip trembling as any attempt he made to will the pain away failed. A shudder gripped his spine as he thought of the metal shattering through his bone but then, for the first time, he noticed his ring was not on his finger.

It hadn't been a primary thought but now under the inspection of his hand and the mention of his wife, he realized his marital band was gone. It made him feel a little emptier but then again, the way his fingers had swollen due to the impalement, it was probably a good thing the ring wasn't there or it would be eating into him by now.

Still, he wasn't happy it was gone and he found himself wondering where it was.

A glimmer of hope sprung into his mind then. Sara was looking for him and he knew the team would be looking for him too. And they were a good team. He had to keep the faith that they would find him. Right now, it's all he had.

He tried to look around, get some form of bearing for his surroundings. He'd come to the conclusion he was more than likely underground. There were no windows and absolutely no daylight whatsoever. The only light he had was the one his captor controlled. Thankfully, he'd left it on. Plus, there was that earthy and coppery smell that came from underground shelters.

He'd considered crying out for help but, if he was beneath the surface it was highly unlikely anyone would hear him. Well, apart from his kidnapper and he doubted that man would appreciate him hollering for assistance. If he heard him, he would probably take another spike to him, so Grissom decided it wasn't worth the risk.

At least not yet.

He was sure he could hear the faint whirl of a fan but he wasn't positive. It could have been, possibly the way air was being pumped in. He couldn't see behind him because it was dark and he had no idea what lay passed the door.

In essence, he was pretty fucked. All he could do was sit and wait for either his team to find him or the mad man to return.

The latter was not a happy thought.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Flicking through his notes and blindly walking towards Hodges's lab, Russell heard Nick calling him from behind. He stopped and turned to face his worker, sliding his notebook into his inner jacket pocket.

"Hey, what happened with Sara?" Nick questioned once he'd caught up to his boss. "There are so many whispers going on around here I don't know whether I'm coming or going."

"She got a little frustrated with Mr. Basderic," Russell sighed.

Nick shrugged. "Can you blame her? We all want that son of a bitch."

"Not the point, Nick, and you know it," the older man argued. "And she's fortunate that I'm trying to understand her point of view, otherwise she'd be off the case and more than likely on leave until this is resolved."

Working his tongue between his teeth Nick felt it best not to argue. "I'm all done with Earl Trent. What do you want me to do?"

Russell's eyes narrowed as he thought. "Is he still in the interview room?"

Nick nodded.

"Escort him back to the airport and check out his story with the envelope. If he's telling the truth, the instructions should still be in his cab."

"He's a free man if they are?" Nick questioned.

Russell nodded. "For now, yes but make him aware if we need to talk to him again, he makes himself available."

Just across the corridor Russell spotted Hodges beckoning him through the glass. The supervisor rolled his eyes.

Nick tried to hold his tongue. "Looks like the Messiah is calling you," he pointed out.

"I noticed."

Jerking a thumb over his shoulder, Nick smirked. "I'll get going. Sooner I go, sooner I can get back."

"Right." Russell gave him a nod. "Maybe take an officer with you and let Morgan help Greg? He still has a lot of footage to get through."

"Okay," Nick agreed and he was away without wasting any more time.

Taking a breath, Russell approached the one man who he knew was going to irritate him. At least after Sara's warning, he was semi prepared.

"Talk to me, David. I need some good news," Russell said, approaching the man in the lab coat.

"Did Sara go for Basderic?" Hodges asked confidently but he sounded a little disgusted.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Russell attempted to calm his frustrations and after a light shake of his head, he gave his worker his request again. "What news do you have for me?" He pointed to the array of scattered items on the work table. "This isn't a soap opera, it's a kidnapping. I want evidence not Chinese whispers and you really should know better by now."

Hodge's cleared his throat, the confident look on his face faltering. "Fine then," he grumbled and went into a rant, pointing at and spieling off each piece of evidence off in turn.

"The box is a takeout box. I found traces of chocolate cake in it but nothing else. No prints. The lettering on the divorce paper, the actual paper and glue are all standard. Found Sara's thumb print on the divorce paper..."

Russell held up his hands. "Okay, slow down."

Looking at his boss, Hodge's did as asked and stopped.

Stepping up to the table, Russell picked up the bagged divorce paper and looked over it. He didn't give Hodges the satisfaction of discussing the print with him because he knew that's exactly what he wanted. That was a private conversation he needed to have with Sara.

"So your saying from all that we have a print and cake, that's it?" Russell questioned feeling disappointed.

Hodges stepped up beside him. "Yep but Sara's print..."

"What about the stuff from the car?" Russell stopped him before he could continue.

Sighing and seemingly getting the point, Hodges pointed to numerous other bags. "Duct tape, pretty heavy duty, very strong but can be found in most hardware stores. The only useful things I pulled from it were traces of skin and hair." He bit down on his lip. "Both are a match to Grissom."

Russell nodded working out the scene in his head. The kidnapper was quick to drive away once Grissom had been dragged into the back of the car, so the former CSI must have been restrained with the tape somewhere else. More than likely in the garage. It was certainly a more private place to do so. The chloroform would have kept him unconscious for at least an hour so there wouldn't have been much risk of him waking.

"Are you still with me?" Hodges questioned, noticing Russell seemed to have drifted off.

The supervisor nodded.

Hodges continued. "The last two things I haven't got to yet." He picked up the remaining evidence bags. "But this looks like granite and this..." He nodded to the note in the final bag, "...looks like Sara's writing."

"Well..." Russell backed towards the door, "..._looks like_ won't find our kidnapper will it? Get those analyzed and I want to know what that rock is and whether or not that _is _Sara's handwriting."

The younger man opened his mouth with a reply but Russell turned and left the room.

Hodges did not look amused.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Greg and Morgan continued to work on the CCTV footage. Greg checked the fifth external camera in hope it may have caught the parked cab. Again, he had no luck but his ears pricked when Morgan spoke.

"Think I've got something," she said, clicking the mouse.

Swiveling in his chair, Greg slid across the tiny space on his seat and bumped into her. "Sorry," he blushed.

She smiled at him.

"What have you found?" he asked, clearing his throat.

Morgan pointed to the screen, showing him the footage. "I went over the deck footage again, from the time Grissom was taken. Now our kidnapper is very sly. Even when I zoom in towards the car, his face is covered enough or facing away just at the right angle; so you get absolutely no look at him."

"Okay…"

"Same thing when he gets out of the car," Morgan continued. "And when he disappears through the fire exit we lose him because there isn't a camera at the bottom."

Greg blew out a breath. "Well we know that already."

"Right." Morgan hit fast forward on the footage. "But, we haven't checked for when he came back yet have we?"

Greg's eyes rolled in circles. "True…"

"It got me thinking when he left because fire doors usually aren't accessible from the outside. They are push bar right?" Morgan sounded pleased with her finding.

Nodding, Greg puckered his lips. "Usually."

Morgan smiled again and hit normal speed on the recording. "So…how did he get back in?" She looked at him and noted his expression. He was definitely thinking.

"Someone let him back in?" he responded although he didn't sound that confident.

"Exactly," she said but with lots of confidence. "Watch," she directed, turning back to the computer.

Greg watched the screen. The camera angle wasn't great. It only caught part of the stairwell and you could just about see the door at the bottom. Sadly it wasn't the best view.

The young CSI found himself wondering who set up the camera equipment because whoever it was needed to be fired. "I have a feeling someone might have messed with the camera," he added as they watched. "We can barely see anything."

"True," Morgan replied nodding with agreement.

Then, after just a few seconds, an arm appeared and the hand pushed on the bar to the door allowing their suspect back in. Their kidnapper kept his head down and away from the camera and was up the stairs without being identified. And whoever let him in left no clue to their identity either, apart from an arm and hand and a gloved hand at that.

Greg immediately leaned forwards and took the mouse; rewinding the footage to the point the door was opened. He hit pause.

"That's all we get? An arm?" he sighed.

Morgan shrugged. "But it means someone let him in. DB was right I think. Someone at the airport helped our guy. And whoever it is, is wearing a jacket and it looks male, formal like." Her eyes sparkled. "Kind of like a security jacket…"

"Well, that would certainly help with knowing where the cameras were." Taking his cell from the desk, Greg called his boss.

"Yeah?" Russell answered about to walk into the garage.

"We got something on the CCTV," Greg informed him, "Someone letting our suspect back into the deck."

Russell's brow rose and he peeked through the door to see Sara and Finn still working on the car. "You get a face?"

"No," Greg griped. "I think someone messed with the camera putting the angle off, probably tilted it. You can't see much. All we got was an arm but we think it might be someone from security. The jacket looks like that type of uniform."

Scratching his scalp Russell stepped into the garage. "Well, find out who moved the camera. You get that and then we get our guy."

"But that could have been anytime."

"Then I suggest you get looking and if you need more footage, call the airport."

Greg sighed. The already long day was getting longer and they were nowhere nearer to finding Grissom. "Okay," he mumbled and hung up.

Pocketing his cell, Russell approached his two CSI's.

Sara, who had in distant, heard his conversation, clipped the suitcase closed she was working on and stood. She looked at him. "Did we find something?" she asked hopefully.

Russell stretched his neck. "Maybe. Someone was caught on the CCTV letting our suspect back into the deck."

Finn stepped around the car exchanging a glance with Sara.

"So we have someone?" Sara questioned with urgency now.

"We didn't get a face," Russell continued.

Sara looked to her shoes, more life seeping from her body. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"But…"

She opened her eyes and looked back to her boss.

"…Greg thinks someone messed with camera. He just needs to find out who."

"Great." Sara griped, "Another thing to do which will probably give us nothing. Just like everything else."

Folding his arms across his chest, Russell shuffled on his feet from side to side. "He must have made a mistake somewhere, Sara," he attempted to encourage. "We are following all the evidence we are given and we _will_ find something. You, of all people, need to stay focused on that. Don't go giving up…"

Sara shook her head. "I'm not giving up," she sighed again. "I will never give up until my husband is safe."

Russell smiled. "Good. Keep that attitude."

Finn stepped up and cleared her throat, breaking up the conversation. "Well, I found something," she said with half a smile holding up an evidence bag. "Some kind of hair and from what I know about Grissom, it isn't his."

Reaching out Russell took the bag and inspected it.

Sara also glanced at the bag, frowning. "It's quite thick," she said out loud, doing an assessment. "And no, it's certainly not Gil's. For one his hair isn't dark brown and it's not that long."

"It does look very thick," Russell assessed. "I'd place money on this not being from a human being."

"Animal hair?" Finn questioned.

Russell nodded. "Possibly." He handed her the bag back. "Get it to Hodges and let me know as soon as he finds out what it is or who or what it belongs to."

"You go it," Finn agreed and headed for the exit.

Looking around Russell noted the file holder on top of one of the cases. "Did we find anything else?" he asked, "Anything in Grissom's luggage?"

Working her jaw, Sara reached down and grabbed the file, "Nothing in his luggage apart from this." She swallowed as she held out the plastic holder.

Frowning, the supervisor slipped gloves on his hands and took the holder, flipping it open. Sara looked away as he did so, feeling her cheeks burning. She wasn't exactly proud of what he was looking at. Fine, he'd seen them before but that wasn't the point.

Russell's frown deepened as he looked over the photos. "Where were these?" he asked noting Sara's discomfort.

"In one of Gil's cases," she replied quietly.

Walking to a kit by the car, Russell grabbed an evidence bag. "We should get this checked for prints," he said.

Sara let out a deep sigh but offered a nod.

He moved in close to her. "Do you think they were planted?"

Sara shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted, her voice highlighting her frustration. "What's to say Basderic didn't get to Gil before today? It might explain why he seems to know so much about him. His travel plans for one." Now Sara stopped, thinking.

Russell also thought for a moment and rubbed his chin. "Then that might mean someone on Grissom's end was in touch with Basderic."

"That's just what I was thinking but how could we ever find that out?"

"I doubt we can, not in the time we have," the senior CSI griped. "It would take too long for us to get any phone records from over there or contact anyone who might give us some information. But, if they were working with or for Basderic, I doubt they would talk to us anyway."

Sara swallowed the lump in her throat. The revelation that Basderic could have been playing them all this time didn't sit very well in her stomach.

"And…" Russell continued with caution, "…if Grissom brought these with him, it also means he knows about you and…"

"I know that," Sara sharply cut him short. "And that's something I'll have to deal with if that's the case."

Russell nodded. "Okay."

Sara removed the latex gloves from her hands. "Do we have any other news?" she asked, walking to the disposal bin and dropping her gloves into it.

"Hodges found your thumb print on the divorce paper." The supervisor said it straight up; he didn't see the point of pussy footing around the subject. But he wasn't aware Sara already knew.

She spun around and glared at him.

"Do you know how that might have happened?" he asked rather than accused.

"Do you suspect me?" she just about growled.

He cleared his throat. "No, Sara I don't. But we need to work out his game if we are ever going to beat him at it."

Sara's shoulders slumped and she shook her head. She didn't know how the hell Basderic got her thumb print onto a piece of paper. But before they could continue with their thoughts, they were interrupted.

"Alright..."

The two CSI's turned hearing the familiar voice and both looked a little surprised as Ecklie approached them.

"How is it the second I get back from my vacation I get a phone call from the DA to tell me Ronald Basderic's lawyer has put in a complaint about his client been harassed just hours after being released?" Ecklie shook his head. "And _Grissom_ has been abducted? What the hell did I miss?"

Sara and Russell exchanged a nervous look.

"I think we should have a chat," Russell suggested to his superior.

Ecklie smiled sarcastically. "Yeah, I think that might be a good idea."

Russell offered his boss a nod.

"Let's go to my office," Ecklie suggested, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I think it's a good idea if you come too, Sara."

Sara's brow rose. She was surprised by the invite although really, she knew she shouldn't be. "Okay," she replied quietly just wondering how Ecklie was going to react to what was happening.

**A/N: Hmmm… now how is Ecklie going to feel? Will he help or hinder? Poor Grissom, the guy has no idea what's still in store. Neither does Sara. Mwahhaa! Next chapter is ready BTW, how much do you want it? Leave me a comment and let me know. Have a great day :)**


	11. The first piece of the puzzle?

**A/N: A ha! Another chapter! So 3 chapters in one week, what's up with that? Lol. Alas, I am back to work tomorrow so I suppose we should make the most of it. I have seriously been enjoying writing, although this story has consumed me so I fear I have neglected Guilt and The Calling a bit. I must work on them and I promise I will. Guilt is nearly finished and so is the next Calling chapter so I'll try hard to get them up soon.**

**Evil hat is being, well, evil. He's loving it. And the plot is about to get thicker, if that is at all possible. **

**No beta, so any drivel is totally my fault. Thank you for the reviews, more please!**

**So let's see if the team are going to get any closer to finding Grissom. I have a feeling they may get a break but will it work out? Hmmm… we will see. The hat is laughing. **

Chapter 10

After dropping off the file of photos to Hodges, Sara and Russell entered Ecklie's office and the sheriff closed the door behind him.

"Sit down," he directed and the two CSI's did so. Ecklie sat behind his desk and looked to both of them in turn, his eyes settling on Sara. "Are you holding up?" he asked with care and concern.

Swallowing hard, Sara nodded and crossed her hands tightly over her lap. "I'm doing my best," she responded quietly.

Ecklie held up his hands. "Right now, I have been back in Vegas for two hours. I have the vaguest of details as to what's gone on. So, Russell, please, if you will..."

The supervisor scratched his forehead. "Ronald Basderic was released this morning. Case dropped due to insufficient and or however you want to put it, tainted evidence." You could tell Russell was frustrated; it came out in his tone.

The sheriff exhaled a heavy sigh. "That, I still need to discuss with the DA but what's done is done. Frustrating yes and agonizing I understand." His eyes flicked to Sara. "Do you know about the restraining order?"

Sara shuffled a little uncomfortably but nodded again. "Yes, not that it will do any good." She took a breath, deciding right now, with Ecklie, honesty was the best policy. She needed his support. "We have already crossed paths."

Now the sheriff frowned. "I can't change the fact he is a free man and I have been warned that we tread very carefully with Mr. Basderic. The department can not afford another _$2 _million lawsuit, Sara."

"Do you think I care about money right now?" she snapped. Leaning forwards she gritted her teeth. "He has taken my husband and..."

Russell shot out a hand to her arm, probably squeezing a little tighter than he should and she silenced, shooting him a very discontented stare.

"Calm down and let me explain things to Conrad before we start throwing punches, okay?" His words were soft but professional.

On another heavy swallow, Sara nodded. "Sorry," she apologized to both her superiors. "I'm just very agitated right now."

"Understandable," Ecklie replied. "But if we are going to get anywhere then you need to control your aggression. I know what you can be like with your temper, so control it."

Sara rolled her eyes but kept quiet.

"Carry on, Russell," the sheriff urged.

"Right," Russell continued. "Sara had an envelope delivered here this morning. Inside was a copy of her divorce paper with an added twist."

"Twist?"

"Till death do you part was stuck on the bottom of the page in big red lettering."

Sara closed her eyes recalling Grissom's scream down the phone.

Ecklie picked up a pencil and began scribbling notes onto a piece of paper. "I don't understand. You're already divorced aren't you?"

Sara's eyes popped open and locked with Ecklie's. "No," she said quietly. "It's wasn't final."

"Oh."

"Right now, that's irrelevant," Russell tried to speed things up conscious of the time they were losing. "Grissom flew into Vegas today."

Now Ecklie looked truly confused.

"We were going to try and work things out," Sara told him, knowing what he was thinking.

Russell continued, "Sara was alarmed by the paper so we went to the airport to meet him but he'd taken an earlier flight. We then received a call from Grissom's cell and..." He stopped, taking a breath.

"And what?" Ecklie continued to write.

"My husband was being tortured," Sara whispered, attempting to hold in the sob that was threatening to escape.

Ecklie looked up sharply.

Sara sucked in a gasp. "We heard it. We have the recording."

Now the sheriff swallowed hard.

"Can we speed this up?" Sara just about begged. "Every second we are sitting here is a second we are not finding Gil."

Ecklie's face softened. "Sara, I need to know where we are if I'm going to help find him. And I also need to know where you are and whether or not it's a good idea for you to be working on this."

Sara did not look happy with that comment and a deep frown furrowed in her brow. "I'm fine," she responded gritting her teeth.

"Honestly I doubt that," Ecklie disagreed.

She looked away from him and folded her arms.

Ecklie held his tongue and went back to Russell. "What else?" he asked.

Russell blew out a breath. "We are going through CCTV. We have someone taking Grissom in the parking deck but no face. The guy was clever, seemed to know where the cameras were. It's possible someone helped him at the airport and Greg is looking into that."

"How was he taken?" Ecklie continued to write as Russell gave him the facts.

"He was given a rental. He was jumped and smothered in the car."

Now Ecklie's eyes narrowed and he looked up from his paper. "Who rented the car?"

Russell looked to Sara and she fidgeted nervously.

"What?" Ecklie questioned noticing the air had suddenly turned thicker.

Leaning forwards, Russell entwined his fingers on Ecklie's desk. "We don't know who rented it. They used a false ID."

"Who's?"

"Mine," Sara cut in saving the hassle.

Ecklie's brow rose. "_Yours_?"

"That's right," she sighed bitterly. "Mine. Again, he is trying to set me up just like he did before."

"You mean Basderic?" the sheriff questioned.

"Yes," Sara hissed.

Ecklie shook his head. "What makes you so sure it's him?"

"I know it's him," Sara replied firmly. "He wants to ruin me."

"It's possible someone saw him at the rental place," Russell added. "We would like to put him in a line up."

Now Ecklie looked uncomfortable and sat back, "How possible are we talking?"

Russell's nose twitched, "A maybe."

"With our current standing on Mr. Basderic I don't know if a maybe is good enough to bring him in for a line up."

"Please…" Sara just about begged. "This could give us the proof we need. _This is Gil_ we are talking about, you do know that,_ right_?"

Ecklie squirmed a little. He really didn't want another lawsuit. "I need to know every single little detail about this before I can make that decision."

Sara's head bowed in defeat.

"So they used Sara's ID but who actually picked up the car?" Ecklie continued, sidestepping the request for the lineup.

"A woman who looked like Sara," Russell answered.

Ecklie shrugged. "_So_, who is this woman?"

"We don't know," Sara mumbled.

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "Well have you tried to find out?"

Russell tilted his head, Sara did the same and they looked at each other. It's the one thing they hadn't done. They had been so busy processing the physical evidence they had collected and taking statements, they'd not even begun trying to trace who she could be.

And she could be a vital link.

Clearing his throat, Ecklie tapped his pencil on the desk. "I'll take that as a no."

"No," Russell admitted.

Ecklie shrugged again. "Then what are you waiting for? You find her; you find out who she gave the car to. Sara, why don't you start while I finish talking to Russell? He'll catch up with you and I will let you know about the lineup as soon as I can. _I will_ seriously consider it."

She nodded although she felt a little demoralized. She was however keen to be doing something productive and she was gone before Ecklie could even say another word.

Russell closed the door once Sara had left and sat back down.

"Do you think it's a good idea for her to be working on this?" Ecklie questioned.

Running a hand through his hair, Russell stretched his neck. "I realize its personal but I don't think we could drag her away even if we tried. Would you back away if you were her?"

Ecklie puckered his lips. "There is personal and there's _personal_. Do you know their history together? Do you know how easily Sara can turn from a kitten to a lion? And with some of the things I've heard so far, she could even be implicated in this."

"That's ridicules and you know it," Russell argued. "She had nothing to do with this and I'm aware of Sara's history, yes. As for her relationship with her husband, I may not be as informed as most but I know she loves him and she will do anything to find him."

"Exactly," Ecklie countered immediately. "Anything and that could be bad."

"Well…" Russell took of his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt, "…better we have her with us then so we can keep an eye on her isn't it?"

Now Ecklie rolled his eyes and sat back. He waved his hand in the air. "Tell me everything I don't know yet…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara found a free room and pulled up a chair to the computer.

She brought up Basderic's file feeling bile rising up her throat as his photo appeared on the screen. Shaking it off, she immediately clicked on the info button and Basderic's history popped up.

Her eyes scanned over the rows and rows of data before her. His place of birth, previous addresses, job history etc etc until her eyes settled upon family. She noticed next to siblings there was the number _1_ and she frowned.

She clicked on it and it immediately went into search. What the search brought up caused her heart to pump.

A woman's photo and basic information popped up and she suspected the person looking back at her could be who they were looking for. She read the name - Emily Hicks.

Typing the woman's name into the data search bar she hit enter and waited for the computer to do it's thing. It didn't take long for numerous files to pop up and Sara began reading.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

About ten minutes later Russell located Sara and found her deep in thought at the computer.

She heard him behind her and looked over her shoulder as he approached. "How did it go?" she asked.

Russell puffed out his cheeks. "He suggested I take you off the case."

"I should have guessed as much." She gave him a weak smile but then it faded. "You're not going to, are you?"

He shook his head, placing his hands on the back of her chair. "Not unless you give me another reason to."

Her smile returned. "What about the line up?"

"He's still thinking about it." Russell sat next to his CSI and looked to the computer. "She looks a bit like you," he commented as the picture of a woman stared back at them. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Emily Hicks _and_…" Sara took a breath, "…she is Basderic's sister.

"I guess we should have looked into family relations a little sooner." He pointed to the screen. "What info do we have on her?"

"Thirty three years old, lives on a horse ranch on the outskirts of Vegas. Quite a big estate," Sara said.

Russell scratched his chin. "She must be well off then?"

Sara nodded. "She is but not by her own doing."

"What do you mean?"

"According to this she was married to Brian Hicks who was a massive oil tycoon. He made millions. But five years ago Mr. and Mrs. Hicks were victims of a carjacking while they were out of town. The report says Brian tried to fight them and he was shot dead during the struggle. They then proceeded to run Emily over with the vehicle. She suffered major head injuries but survived."

Russell blinked in surprise. "That's heavy," he commented.

"Yeah," Sara mumbled. "I checked her medical history after the accident. The head injury caused some retardation. She has a minder who stays with her at the house although the records don't show she is incapable of looking after herself. It could be because she suffers from severe panic attacks now as well as epilepsy. They can be deadly if you're on your own."

"Well I guess with what her husband left her, she can afford it," Russell surmised.

Sara agreed with a nod.

"She could have been the one at the rental shop…" Russell paused, "…but she just doesn't sound like the kind of person who would willingly help kidnap someone, especially after what happened to her and her husband."

"Why don't we go and find out?" Sara suggested. This was their only really good lead and she, better than most people, knew blood always ran thicker than water. And if it was family, you would do anything. She wasn't about to think Emily wasn't involved just because of the atrocity she had suffered. Right now, anyone with any link to Basderic could be involved.

Russell pondered Sara's request for a moment. "I'm not so sure if it's such a good idea for you to..."

"Please," Sara whispered. "This could be our best lead. _I need to help_. I promise I won't mess it up."

He continued to think but they were interrupted when Finn entered the room holding up an evidence bag. "I got a result," she announced.

Standing, Russell looked her over. "What is it?"

"It's horse hair," she replied.

Sara pushed herself up. "Basderic's sister lives on a horse ranch," she added knowingly.

Russell nodded quickly, looking to Sara. "Okay. I think we've got what we need for friendly visit."

"What did I miss?" Finn asked.

"Are you done with the car?" he answered with his own question.

Finn scratched her head. "Just about, why? What's happening?"

Russell looked to his watch. "It will be getting dark soon, so I'll explain on the way. You're coming with me. So let's go see if Brass is back."

Sara felt her shoulders slump and she angrily turned away from him, picking up the mouse and throwing it back down in frustration. She slumped back into the chair.

"Go see if you can find Brass and if you do meet me in reception," he directed Finn.

She didn't argue and left.

"Sara..."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she spat.

He sighed and moved to sit by her again. "This has nothing to do with confidence. This is about going in totally unbiased. And that's something you're not."

She managed to look at him. "From the looks of Emily's report, she has her own issues. But she could be our lead to finding your husband. We have to question her right, especially without a warrant. We scare her off; we may never get anything from her." He placed his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Where you're at right now, I can't see you having the gentle touch, can you?"

Turning away again she pouted.

"If we find something and can get a warrant, then I'll call you to the scene, okay?" He sounded sincere in his offer and she nodded.

"Fine."

He stood and gripped her shoulder. "Help Greg and Morgan, the CCTV is our last thing now apart from the audio."

She nodded again, attempting to hold in the tears that were fighting to fall. She bit down on her tongue as he left.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Hodges caught Russell just as he was walking towards reception.

"Russell!" he shouted.

The supervisor blew out a breath, recognizing the voice and turned to his worker. "What is it, David? I'm in a hurry."

"I got the results from the handwriting and the stones you found," he informed his boss.

Russell waited as Hodges seemed to pause. "Well go on then…"

"The handwriting isn't Sara's," he said flatly. "It's a good copy though."

"Okay and the rock?"

Hodges slipped his hands into his pants pockets. "I'm sorry if I jumped the gun about Sara. I just..."

"That's very nice, David, but you should be apologizing to her, not me. The rock?"

"Oh…yeah," the younger man sighed. "The rock is red granite. It's a crushed granite suitable for drives and ideal as ground cover. It consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar. So it more than likely came from someone's driveway or garden. It's sold throughout the country so tracing the actual store it came from, is probably not going to happen."

"Well we don't need the store," Russell informed him. "We just need the driveway." He smiled to his lab rat. "Thanks."

Hodges watched as Russell walked away. "You're welcome," he responded with his own smile.

"Don't forget your apology! I'll be checking that you gave it…" Russell finished on before he cut into another corridor.

The smile on Hodges face faltered and he looked around. He spotted Sara coming towards him and took a breath. Scrunching his hands together he approached her.

Sara's eyes were downcast and she didn't notice Hodges as he walked towards her.

"Sara?" he said.

She stopped abruptly and looked up, glaring at him. "What do you want?" she spat. "Got another accusation have you?" She held out her arm. "Like to take some blood? Or would that contaminate your lab?"

He nervously fiddled with his ear lobe. "Look, I just wanted to…"

Sara's right brow rose as she waited for him to continue. He seemed to be squirming. That was always an entertaining sight.

"I wanted to apologize, for my attitude and for…"

"Being an ass?" she finished for him.

He rolled his eyes and nodded, "And for being an ass. I just respect Grissom a lot and I get angry when I think about what happened with you and…"

"Stop right there…" she warned, holding up a finger. "You respect my husband but it's been pretty obvious lately you don't respect me." She took a breath. "Yes I've made mistakes and believe me I'm paying for them but you have no right to judge who I am or what I do. You don't know the half of what I've been through but you're so quick to blame me. And what is more irritating is you wouldn't even listen when I tried to explain to you."

"I know," he said. "And I'm sorry."

Sara ruffled her nose. "You know what, I'm not sure if I believe you. This is probably just to get back on Russell's good side, isn't it?"

His mouth opened and he frowned.

"I'll tell you what. You come and apologize to me when you really mean it. Because right now, I don't think you do."

With that said, Sara brushed past him and turned into the AV lab leaving Hodges looking rather stunned in the corridor.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The SUV pulled up outside the gate to the ranch. The sun was beginning to set so time was of the essence if they were going to notice anything.

Brass, seated in the passenger seat pointed to the gate. "We are going to have to buzz and ask to be let up, it's a security gate. No way in unless you have a key."

The whole estate was surrounded by a large fence and indeed entry was through an eight foot, solidly closed security gate.

"Must have more than horses up there if they need security like this," Finn commented.

"Maybe not," Russell answered, unclipping his belt. "Emily Hicks was involved in a carjacking and her husband was killed in the incident. She suffered major injuries. I think now, by the looks of it, she likes to feel safe." He opened his door and stepped out of the SUV with the intention of announcing their arrival but the second his boot hit the ground, he stopped as the crunch beneath his feet aroused his attention.

His eyes narrowed as he looked down and then his brow rose. Crouching down he pinched at the stones on the ground, picking one up in-between finger and thumb to inspect it.

"Jim?"

Brass leaned as far forward as he could get and looked through the open window to the senior CSI. "Yeah?"

"Call Ecklie would you and ask him for a warrant to search." He looked the captain in the eye. "And I feel we will be questioning Mrs. Hick's officially. We'll wait until the warrant gets here."

Finn pushed the electrical button for her window and poked her head out. "What are you doing?" she asked, looking at him confused.

He grinned, holding up the red stone, eyeing it closely. "It's not the first piece of the puzzle anymore; the granite has now fallen into place." He looked at her. "I think we have a match..."

**A/N: Oooohhh….. Interesting? Have they found something? The next chapter is very Grissom focused and oh, let me see, it's actually ready to go. BAD HAT. I think he's made friends with Basderic. Hehehehehe. I guess it depends if I get enough reviews to be able to post… Do you want it? **

**Have a great day! xxxx**


	12. They won't find you

**A/N: Been trying to post this for a day or so but every time I came to it my brain wouldn't work enough. Ugh, I hate being back at work. Anyhoo, it's here. Time for a little Grissom time, lol. And some explaining…**_**That**_**, should be fun!**

**The hat thinks it's fun but he just likes being mean. And he is on super mean mode right now. Think you are getting somewhere and them… wham, a hat moment. Pahahahaa.**

**Thanks for the super duper reviews. I am absolutely loving the predications, Nancy1 so far you get the cookie! You have to fight Hat for it though :D I would love more insights as to what you all think is happening/going to happen…who is involved, who gonna die (someone will). **

**No beta, so if I mess up I bow in shame.**

**The party is just getting started so let's take a looky…. **

Chapter 11

Grissom's eyes flickered closed but he forced them back open again. He looked down at his hand. Thankfully it looked like the bleeding had stopped. The blood had congealed around the spike causing a sort of plug preventing any further blood from coming. As long as that seal wasn't broken, the bleeding should remain stilled.

It didn't make him feel any better but at least he knew he wasn't going to bleed to death. Well, at least not from that injury anyway.

He licked his dry lips. He was immensely thirsty now and he wondered what time it was. It seemed like he'd been incarcerated forever and he had no idea how long it had been since he last ate or drank anything. Breakfast on the plane but how long ago was that?

The metallic clink came again and the door to his prison opened. His heart beat fast. It did so every time his captor returned.

Basderic approached him with a smile on his face. He looked very pleased with himself. "I thought I'd pop by for a chat now that my little job is complete and I've left your ex associates with another little distraction," he said looking down at his victim. "How are we feeling?" he asked mockingly.

Grissom swallowed but the lack of saliva in his mouth made it very uncomfortable. "Thirsty," he answered hoarsely.

"Oh…" Basderic puckered his lips. "Well we don't want that if we're going to have a little talk, do we? And I wouldn't want you dying of thirst…"

The entomologist watched as Basderic walked off to the left and disappeared into the darkness. He then heard a tiny squeal and what sounded like pipes chattering. It must have been a tap because Grissom could then hear water running.

A few moments later Basderic reemerged with a white porcelain cup in his hand. He stepped close to his victim and held out the cup.

Grissom looked down at the offering suspiciously but noticed the cup was full of water.

"Open up if you want to drink," Basderic directed. "And I will only offer once."

Without hesitation, Grissom tipped his head back a touch and slowly opened his mouth. Not only because he was thirsty but because he was afraid of what might happen if he refused the sudden bout of generosity. Basderic didn't look like a man who took kindly to rejection.

Basderic smiled and held the cup to Grissom's lips, tipping the water into his mouth. The former CSI drank quickly and the cup was soon emptied.

Pulling away, Basderic placed the cup on the floor and Grissom licked his now wet lips.

"Thank you," Grissom whispered. The water offered a slight hint of refreshment although he knew it probably wouldn't last long.

Basderic smiled again and walked to the table, grabbing a folder before sitting in the chair in front of the former CSI. "It's good that you have manners," Basderic said to him. "It might make our relationship a little easier."

Grissom remained silent and just stared at his kidnapper. He just couldn't work this guy out.

"So…" the younger man began, crossing his legs, placing the file on his lap, "…I thought it was time that I helped that little confused brain of yours. Because you are confused, aren't you?"

Grissom slowly nodded.

"You know…" the younger man began on a snicker, "…I'm a little shocked your wife didn't tell you about me. I mean, I know you were having a little relationship problem but…"

"What does that have to do with you?" Grissom cut in.

Basderic's eyes narrowed and Grissom immediately tensed realizing his mistake. Probably not the best idea to interrupt…

Springing to his feet and knocking the file to the floor, Basderic swung his right fist hard across Grissom's face and the entomologist cried out, his head smacking back against the chair. The older man groaned as he felt his cheek crack and his head immediately slumped forwards.

"Damn it!" Basderic shouted, shaking his right hand and then squeezing it with his left. He'd hurt himself and he didn't look happy about it. He inspected the damage, noting three out of four of his knuckles were red and most certainly going to bruise.

Grissom's entire body shook as his pain and fear barrier were once again challenged. The younger man grabbed his hair, yanking his head up and a whimper escaped his lips as Basderic's eyes bore into his.

"How _dare _you interrupt me?" the kidnapper spat. "Do you have _any_ idea how much I _hate_ getting my hands dirty?" He pushed Grissom's head back and the former CSI continued to shudder. "Look what you did!" Basderic growled holding up his now injured hand.

"I'm sorry," Grissom cried unable to do anything but apologize to try and fix his error. The thought that Basderic was blaming him for the injury was simply ridicules, this mad man had hit _him_ and _he_ was the one that was being tortured. But what else could he do other than beg?

Basderic took a breath and tried to calm himself. "You interrupt me one more time and I'm going to introduce you to another spike. Do I make myself clear?"

His threat was chillingly made and Grissom immediately nodded his head.

On a huff, Basderic bent to retrieve the file and sat back in the chair. "Now, where were we? Oh yes, your marital issues…"

Grissom took a breath, and moved his jaw, damn it hurt. It felt like his entire face was on fire again and he wouldn't be surprised if that punch had fractured something. He kept silent though apart from his heavy breathing.

Basderic opened the file and pulled out a photograph. He held it up for Grissom to see and the former CSI stared at the picture of his wife kissing another man. He closed his eyes for a second and forced the growing bile in his stomach to settle.

"Quite a photograph, wouldn't you agree?" Basderic asked. "Although I know you've seen this before and…" He pulled out numerous other photographs of Sara with Taylor Wynard, "…a few more which I politely sent you," he said, showing each one in turn.

Grissom blinked hard, trying to take in what Basderic was telling him.

The thug smiled. "I can see you are itching to say something. Go ahead, I give you permission."

"_You_ sent me those pictures?" Grissom slurred, his speech difficult because of the pain in his face.

Basderic smirked. "Oh yes," he admitted. "Were you a little shocked when you received the email?"

Grissom's mouth opened but he stalled.

"_Answer_ the question," Basderic ordered.

"It…I…I couldn't blame her," he sighed. "But yes, I was…" He tilted his head back, looking up to the ceiling above him. How on earth was he supposed to discuss his personal issues with this lunatic? He could barely even talk to his wife let alone someone who was torturing him. Taking a breath, he looked Basderic back in the eye. "We were already having problems at that point."

"Yes I know."

A frown gloomed on Grissom's brow.

The younger man leaned forwards. "But it still hurt didn't it?"

Grissom closed his eyes. "Yes," he whispered.

"Are these what pushed you into asking for the divorce?" the thug asked with a hint of glee.

The entomologist's eyes popped open. "Sara deserved better than what I was giving her."

Now Basderic laughed. "Wait, wait, wait," he chuckled, holding up a hand. "_She_ is the one messing around with another guy and _you_ think _she_ is the one who deserves better?" He held up a finger and pulled another picture from the file. "I'm curious as to when you started thinking this." He held up another photograph and Grissom stared at it. This time he looked back at a picture of Sara with Doug. "Remember this? I kindly sent this to you as well." Basderic himself looked at the picture. "She looks happy with him doesn't she?"

Grissom squirmed. Indeed that photograph had been sent to his email months ago, from a sender he did not know and fine, it did begin his realization that Sara was possibly beginning to move on due to their time apart. Again, like he had for so many years before, he had become consumed in his work and neglected her.

"Did you ever confront her about the photographs?" Basderic asked.

"No," Grissom replied flatly. "She deserved to be happy."

Basderic smiled again, "Ah, but she _wasn't _happy and that was my intention all along."

Now Grissom truly frowned, his right eye closing a little more as the swelling slowly grew. What had this mad man done?

"You didn't even know your wife was a suspect in _his_ murder, did you?" Basderic waved Taylor's picture through the air.

Grissom looked totally stunned now. "What?" he almost sobbed.

Basderic winked, "We'll get to that in a minute when I'm finished with the previous subject." He dropped the file to the floor and crossed his legs again, rocking a little. "You know, you kept on missing Sara's calls but you got her emails though, didn't you? Pleading her heart out to you that she was struggling, that she needed her husband? That the distance was no longer working for her." He pulled a small tablet from his inner jacket pocket and scrolled through some files as Grissom watched on. The younger man sniggered to himself as he read out a copy of one of Sara's emails…

"_Gil, where are you? I can't get hold of you. I keep ringing and leaving messages because I always get your damn answer phone but you never get back to me. We need to talk. We haven't talked in almost two weeks and I haven't seen you in nearly three months. Damn it, Gil, I miss you. I don't know how much longer I can deal with this. Please, call me!"_

Basderic lowered the tablet. "That was just before her Ex paid her a visit. But wait…" He looked back to his machine and read out another message.

"_Well I guess you are about as good at checking your emails as you are your voice messages. I still haven't heard from you and you are still not picking up. What is going on? I'm getting so tired, Gil. I need more than this. What this is now, I just don't know. Call me."_

"That one was sent after she reunited with her old boyfriend," Basderic informed him. "Do you think he gave her some satisfaction because you didn't?" he joked.

Grissom shook his head, not appreciating any of the comments. "I didn't receive any of those emails."

"Of course you didn't," Basderic laughed, slipping the tablet back into his pocket. "Because you always left your personal laptop in your tent and I had a friend of mine erase them." The younger man gave him a cheerful smile. "He managed to erase quite a few of your voice mails too. He's just a whiz with electronics and you shouldn't be leaving your phone lying around. Always too busy with work…_tut, tut_…"

"_Oh my God_," Grissom mumbled now realizing this psychopath must have had someone in Peru helping him. But what shocked him even more was the amount of time Basderic must have been planning and executing this. Grissom felt so sick. His private life was being manipulated and he knew nothing about it.

But the former CSI still didn't know why apart from the obvious that Basderic wanted to destroy his marriage. And by the looks of it, he'd almost succeeded. _But why?_

He hadn't heard from Sara much because the messages were erased, so he just presumed she was busy with work. He knew what the life of a CSI was like. He too had a very hectic schedule with the project he was on and he worked all day and slept all night. It demanded all of his attention and the time difference between the two of them didn't help.

So, without the urgency of private affairs, his work had consumed him. He'd just got so lost in it. But there was another side to that also. Totally blocking himself out with work helped with the pain of missing Sara because he did, immensely. And, because of their lack of communication when they eventually got to talk to each other, it just made him sad. So it was just easier not to.

Sara wanted to change things and he didn't know and when the pictures came he was ignorant enough to think she was moving on. He had never been good at personal confrontations with her, so he just let things go. She looked happy in the pictures so he presumed she actually was and that she didn't need him anymore. He was such an idiot at the time but later, he knew deep in his heart, they could work it out. That's why he decided to return to Vegas. He just wasn't prepared to let her go so easily.

"You still look very puzzled," Basderic offered.

Grissom coughed, the churning in his stomach not dissipating any. "Why are you doing this?"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

It was _9pm_ and almost dark by the time Nick and Sara arrived along with two squad cars and the requested warrant.

Both CSI's quickly exited their vehicle at the gate to meet their boss. He was standing by his truck with Finn and the captain.

Nick pulled the warrant from his pocket and handed the envelope to Brass. The captain slipped it into his pocket.

"The cab driver was telling the truth," Nick informed Russell. "I found the note. It's been checked for prints as we speak."

Russell nodded.

Sara looked to her boss, nerves pinching her gut. "You got a match to the granite we found?" she asked desperately.

Russell reached through open the window of his SUV and picked up the evidence bag which was lying on the seat. He handed it to her. "You're standing right on it."

Sara looked down and then to the bag. "It looks the same," she said with a glimmer of hope. But then she swallowed hard. "He could be in there, _couldn't he_?" Her head turned and she stared at the gate, a heavy lump forming in her throat. She knew he was in there, she could just sense it.

Kinking his head, Russell took the bag and dropped it back into the truck. "We are here to find evidence, Sara. Don't get your hopes up too much. I'm not saying he is or isn't here, okay? We have some granite and right now that's all we've got but it's a link. I am trusting you to be here and do your job but you don't do anything unless I tell you to. _Are we clear_?"

She quickly nodded and took a deep breath.

"You want to do the honors, Jim?" Russell asked opening the door to his truck and getting in.

Brass walked to the call box and hit the button. A high pitched buzz cut through the lazy chirping of the birds as they began to sing themselves to sleep. The crickets were just starting to take over the vocals.

A few seconds passed by before a woman's voice was heard on the intercom. "Hello?"

"Emily Hicks?" Brass asked.

"Yes," she answered. "Who is this please?" The woman sounded polite which made a change.

"My name is Captain Jim Brass, Ma'am, and I am from the LVPD. I am here with members of the crime scene team and we have a warrant to search your premises. Can you let us up please?"

A pause came.

"Why?" she questioned sounding confused.

"Just, buzz us in, Ma'am, please, and we can explain everything to you face to face," Brass remained polite as she had and looked over his shoulder to the waiting crew.

There was another pause, this time it was longer. "Can you stand under the camera please so I can see you?"

Brass looked around and noticed a very small camera on the top right hand side of the gate. It was so small they hadn't previously noticed it. He did as requested and moved to stand under the appliance, holding up his badge as he did so.

After a few seconds there was another buzz and the gate lock released.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Emily stepped away from the line of five CCTV screens which sat in an open cupboard in her office room and she nibbled on her middle finger. She didn't like this; it made her very nervous and confused.

Feeling panicked, she picked up her cordless house phone and hit number one on her speed dial…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

"Why are you doing this?" Grissom asked.

Basderic smirked but then he felt a vibrating in his left pants pocket and he plucked inside it for his cell phone. He flipped it open, looked at the screen and checked the caller ID. Pointing a finger of warning to Grissom, his smile faded. "Keep your mouth shut or I'll staple it closed," he threatened.

He hit the small green button and held the phone to his ear. "Hey, sweetheart," Basderic answered the smile reappearing on his lips.

"Ronald, um..." she gasped, her voice worried and a little breathless.

"_Emily_, what's wrong?" He instantly picked up on the anxiety in his sister's voice.

Grissom listened, getting any information he could that might help his situation. Who was Emily?

She moved from the office and began through the spacious living room, towards the large, oak front door. "Police are here, Ronald. They say they have a warrant. What do I do?"

Basderic's eyes widened and there was a seconds silence before he answered. "What?" Now he sounded concerned.

Running a hand through her long brown hair she opened the door upon hearing vehicles getting closer. "Captain Brass I think he said and…crime scene people?" she didn't sound confident and was finding it hard to remember what Brass had said. "They have a warrant to search my home. Why..." she stuttered now, "...why would they want to search my home? I haven't done anything. I don't know what to do. I had to let them in, didn't I? That was the right thing to do?"

Basderic looked to the ceiling and then swallowed hard. Grissom's eyes narrowed as he watched his captor. He seemed nervous all of a sudden.

"Is Joan not with you?" he asked.

"No, silly. You know Joan always has Wednesday nights to herself, she went out. You normally come, Ronald, but…" she shrugged her shoulders, "…I just guessed because of the trouble you'd had and because you'd just got out of that nasty place that you needed some time to yourself so, I didn't want to bother you. I'm okay on my own though. Well, I was…"

He sighed, staring Grissom right in the eye. "Emily, I'm sorry," he apologized. "Something came up and I forgot."

"It's ok."

"Listen to me, okay?" Basderic continued. "I am your big brother and I have always taken care of you haven't I?"

She nodded watching as the cars pulled up. She turned her back to the open door. "Yes, Ronald."

"Okay. Keep calm, that's very important. I don't want you having a fit or a panic attack. If you keep calm and just do what they ask, you'll be okay. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes. Well, I'll try."

"I'm coming to you, baby, alright? I'm very close by, so I won't be long." He walked to the table and Grissom watched as he picked up a roll of black duct tape. Now the entomologists gut pinched again.

She cleared her throat as the CSI's and officers disembarked their vehicles. "Okay..."

"Just don't mention anything to them about me coming, okay?" He approached Grissom and the former CSI swallowed hard.

"No, Ronald, whatever you say."

"Good. Relax and I'll be there very soon."

Emily hung up and Basderic slammed the phone closed on a very unhappy huff. He thought for a minute, looking at the ceiling again and Grissom noticed he seemed very edgy. Then as the mad man shot his eyes back to him, Grissom knew he was more than edgy, he was pissed off.

He held up the tape and angrily ripped off a piece, leaning over the CSI until their foreheads almost touched. "You better pray I'm not this unhappy when I come back," he spat. Stepping back he slapped the tape over Grissom's mouth and the former CSI closed his eyes as Basderic pressed hard upon the sticky material, ensuring it was secure.

As Grissom's eyes opened he mumbled a little and wondered why Basderic had taped his mouth. He hadn't before. Then his CSI brain kicked in and he worked it out, recalling the conversation and his captor's actions. Basderic kept looking to the ceiling…not that far away…do as they say…and now Basderic definitely wanted to keep him quiet…

The team was above; they were here, he just knew it and _he_ now looked to the ceiling, his eyes working in nervous circles as he chewed down on the tape.

Basderic noticed and sniggered. "Smart aren't you?" he realized. "But they won't find you. I can guarantee you that. Even if you manage to get the tape off, which I probably wouldn't advise, you'd more than likely have to pop a lung before _anyone_ could hear you scream down here." He gave the tape one last press just to be sure. "Plus, it's dark so I doubt they're going to come out here…" He gave Grissom a heavy whack on the shoulder. "We can finish our chat later. Be seeing you soon…" he promised before rushing from the room.

**A/N: Interesting? What do you think on my explanation so far? Where is Grissom and are the team that close? Oooohhh…. Will they find him? Mr. B doesn't seem very happy does he? Oh dear, Hat is in the cookies. I feel a crazy sugar rush coming on! Or will it be a blood rush… Yuck.**

**Lol. Thoughts very much appreciated. **

**Thanks for reading :D xxx**


	13. Into the unkown

**A/N: Ah, finally I get a day off and the energy to write. Did quite well today actually. Finished Guilt and a chapter of The Calling and they are now both awaiting scrutiny. Lol.**

**And then I got to this little baby and managed to get a chapter finished too. Evil hat is on a roll! **

**My continuing thanks for everyone's reviews and comments. I think evil hat may have a fan club, or maybe it's a hate club, lol. Anyway, he's loving the attention! So we both thank you for your input.**

**No beta with this story at the moment so all mistakes are mine. Hopefully there aren't too many. **

**So, let's see how the team is getting on. Are they on the right **_**tracks**_**? Lol, there is a pun in that. Once you've read the next few chapters you'll understand. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

Everyone glanced around and Sara's eyes immediately flickered in all directions, trying to visually asses everything she possibly could. "I don't know how big this place actually is," she mumbled. "Too dark now…" Her agitation was evident.

Russell sighed, "Yeah, I can't say we picked the best time to explore a ranch, not that we could help it. Hopefully Mrs. Hicks will be obliging enough to inform us about her estate."

"So where do you want us?" Nick asked keenly, still looking around, kit ready in his right hand. He was more than ready to get to work.

Russell did a full circle on his heels, scanning the area. "All the officers, check the external of the house please, as well as the driveway, everyone else inside with me. Nick, you can start upstairs, check for an attic." He looked up noticing the high roof. An attic in this kind of house was more than possible if not likely. "Sara, I want you to start downstairs. See if there is a basement. You find one, you come get someone."

Sara slowly nodded, her fingers clenching around the handle on her kit. She just wanted to get started.

"Archie thinks Grissom is being held inside something. Or at least he is encased. Could be underground, could be a sealed room. So, for now, that's what we are going on. You two got that?"

Both Nick and Sara said, "Yes," together and Russell continued.

"Finn and I will talk with Mrs. Hicks while you guys see what you can find."

Sara sighed, her eyes wanting, _needing_ to see more of the outside than she could. If Grissom was here, she doubted he was in the house. The grounds were expansive, so he could have been anywhere.

Russell leaned through his open truck window to grab a file and then the CSI's followed Brass as he approached Emily who waited on the porch.

"She looks very nervous," Brass said quietly.

The supervisor nodded. "Just be calm and polite with her and I think we'll be okay. We _need_ her cooperation and we don't want her having an attack on us."

"Emily?" Russell asked as he reached the woman of the house. He extended his hands to her and she stared at him. He smiled softly at her. "It's okay, were not here to cause trouble," he tried to reassure. "We just want to ask you a few questions and have a little look around." He looked behind him, keeping his hand extended. "You have such a beautiful place." He knew it was dark but the supervisor had the feeling the compliment would work.

Emily smiled and eventually shook his hand. "What's your name?" she asked, looking over his shoulder to the group who were waiting behind him.

"My name is DB," he replied. "This is Captain Jim Brass and behind me we have Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle and Julie Finlay."

She snorted. "DB?" she questioned. "That's a funny name."

His smile turned into a grin. "Blame my mother," he joked and she laughed. "May we come in?"

Emily seemed to relax, her anxiety quickly dissolving because of the way she had been approached. "Okay…"

Brass pulled the warrant from his pocket as they entered the house and held it out to Emily. Nick and Sara went off in separate directions to start searching. Sara made sure her eyes took in as much as they possibly could.

"What's that?" the young woman asked, looking at the envelope.

Russell did a quick visual assessment around him before answering the question. The house was definitely clean, immaculate even. Plants were scattered around, very similar to those they had seen in Basderic's house. Numerous crystal ornaments sat precisely placed in a fine mahogany cabinet off to his right, horses Russell noted. In the corner of the living room to his left sat a fine piano with numerous photographs on top of it."

"It's a warrant, Emily," Brass informed her. "It gives us the right to do what we are doing. Most people like to check them."

"Umm…" Emily ran an uncomfortable hand over her neck. "I'm not all that great at reading anymore," she admitted. "Joan normally helps me but she's not here."

Brass's mouth popped open and he retracted the warrant, putting it back into his pocket.

"Is Joan your carer?" DB asked, gesturing to the living room so they could sit and make her as comfortable as possible.

"Yes. How did you know that?" Emily asked.

"Please, sit," Russell requested, holding a hand out to the sofa.

Emily did so and he answered her question as he sat beside her, placing his file on the sofa arm. "It's my job to know things about people and I like to help people."

She entwined her fingers over her lap. "That's nice. It's good to help people," she replied, giving him another smile.

"Do you help people too?" Emily asked, looking at Finn as she sat opposite in a chair.

Finn nodded. "Yes, I do," she answered. "And…_you_ could help _us_. We are looking for someone. Would you like to help us find him?"

Emily seemed to get a little excited now. "Is it a game?" she asked giddily.

Brass cleared his throat and stepped away, checking around the living room. That conversation was just getting way out of his league. He checked over the mantel which lay above a glorious open fireplace. There were pictures upon it. Most of Emily with whom he presumed was her husband and a couple of Emily with her brother. His nose turned at those…

Sara placed her kit upon the floor of the kitchen and pulled out her flashlight. Switching it on, she flicked it around the expansive space. This kitchen was almost bigger than her entire porch and living room put together.

A center wooden bench separated the kitchen equipment from a fine marble dining table and she shimmied around it spotting a door in the corner of the room. Immediately, she presumed it was a basement door although it could have been something used for storage.

She side stepped the table and approached the door. After having another quick look around her hand slowly coiled around the door handle and she pushed down. The door was locked and her heart rate immediately increased.

On a heavy swallow, she kinked her head and flattened the right hand side of her face against the door, pushing her ear against the wood work. She listened, her eyes rolling over and over but she heard nothing at all coming from beyond.

Her jaw worked as she stepped back but she remembered Russell's words and hot footed it back towards the living room. She wasn't really paying much attention when she reached the open doorway to the next room though. She barged right into Brass who was still having a look around and happened to be coming in her direction.

Unlucky for her, he was much heavier and she was the one who almost lost her footing and fell backwards. The captain managed to shoot out an arm though and caught her before she lost her balance.

"Damn, Sara," he moaned, holding onto her arm and pulling her upright. "In a hurry are we?"

She licked her lips and pointed over her shoulder. "Got a locked door, think it might be a basement…"

Brass's brow rose and he was quick to follow her back to the door. They both stood by it and he tried the handle.

He frowned when it didn't budge.

"I told you it was locked," she re-informed him.

Nibbling on his tongue he looked around.

"Maybe, we should just ask if there's a key?" Sara suggested.

Brass nodded and they hurried back to the living room.

Russell looked up noting their arrival. "Something wrong?" he asked.

Emily also glanced to Sara and Brass.

The captain cleared his throat and remembered he had to use the soft approach. "The door in the kitchen, Emily, that is locked, where does that go?"

"Underneath," she said simply.

Sara looked to her boss, a tiny bit of hope sparkling in her eyes.

Russell fidgeted, turning to face the young woman completely. "Is it a basement?" he asked.

Now Emily nodded.

"Can you open the door for us?"

This time Emily shook her head. "Oh, no," she said. "That's my brother's room. It's his working room. He doesn't like anyone going down there unless he is here. And, I don't have a key, I'm sorry."

Sara felt her teeth grinding as she stepped forwards. "What do you mean _a working room_?" she questioned offhandedly.

Emily's chin quivered and she pushed back as if creating as much distance between herself and Sara as she could. Sara's tone had obviously put her off. Emily lowered her head, averting Sara's eyes and shook her head.

Russell sensed her discomfort and shot Sara a look of warning.

Sara got the hint and even though she was frustrated and wanted instant access to that room, she rolled her eyes, held up a hand and backed away. She hovered in the doorway and rocked her head back and forth against the frame.

"Can you tell us what is down there, Emily?" Russell asked softly. "Please, it's important and would really help us."

Slowly, she looked back up. Noting Sara wasn't close by anymore, she gave Russell her attention again. "Ronald has trains, he likes trains, he collects them and he likes to make things too. He cuts from wood and things like that. He likes to use his hands you see." She smiled at the supervisor. "He made me a wooden horse. It's in my bedroom. It's very nice. Would you like to see it?"

Russell got the impression this young woman liked him. That was good, trust,

was good. He smiled back. "Maybe later, he responded. "But right now, we really need to take a look downstairs. It could help us find the man we are looking for."

Now Emily frowned. "Is he lost?"

Trying to keep a straight and understanding face Russell played along. "Sort of."

"Well, I don't think he could have got down there," she surmised. "The door is always locked."

Finn joined the conversation. "Is there a window or any other way in or out?"

"No," Emily admitted. "It's very sealed. I'm…" she paused for a moment, "…I don't really like it down there. It's musky and I feel kind of trapped. I don't go down often unless Ronald wants me to help him with something or show off."

"Show off?" Russell took over again.

The young woman sighed. "If he gets a new train or he carves something. He likes to show me."

Brass snorted and the whole group looked to him. He cleared his throat. "Sorry," he apologized. "He just didn't seem like a train kinda guy to me, that's all…"

Russell thought for a moment and then pushed himself up. "Can I speak with you for a second?" he said to Finn. Gesturing his head to the right, she followed him as he stepped away from Emily.

The young woman watched as Russell took his subordinate into the corner of the room and began whispering.

"I'm going to try and get into that basement," Russell said to his worker.

Finn nodded. "Okay…"

The supervisor gave Emily a quick flash of his eyes. "I want you to stay with her. Keep her talking so she doesn't get spooked about what we are doing. I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate us breaking into her brother's room. She seems very protective of it."

"I can do that," Finn agreed with confidence. "But just one thing…"

"What?"

Now Finn looked to their apparent suspect. "Do you really think she's involved in this? I mean, look at her. She's either a very good actress or she has no idea what's going on here." She brushed her finger tips through her hair. "I can't see her being the one at the rental shop. Not if she's always like this. She wouldn't have the nerve."

Russell held his fist to his mouth, biting down on his knuckles. He took another moment out to think. "We'll see," he finally said. "For now, we go on what we have and at this point in time, we have a locked door which needs to be opened."

"Alright…" Finn held up a hand and retreated back to the sofa, this time she sat beside the lady of the house. "Tell me about your horses, Emily…" she requested with a smile.

Stepping away with Brass following, Russell found Sara in the doorway. "Are you calm?" he asked.

Sara pushed herself from the frame, took a breath and nodded.

"Good," her boss responded gesturing out an arm. "Lead the way…"

She was quick to fulfill his request and hot footed it back to the kitchen, her two colleague's right behind.

They stopped by the door and Russell inspected it closely, he himself had a listen to see if he could hear anything. He tried the handle and gave it a good solid pull. It didn't budge. "Well, we are not going to get in easily..."

Sara rolled her eyes one more time. How many times did she have to say it before they realized opening a locked door wasn't as simple as just pushing down the handle? "Force it," she suggested, her impatience growing by the second.

Russell pondered their options, leaning close to the door and inspecting the lock and hinges. "Got a screw driver?"

Sara nodded and rushed to her kit returning a few seconds later, screwdriver in hand.

He pointed to the hinges. "I think if we unscrew them and then the handle, we should be able to get to the lock and just pull the door away. Hopefully…"

Sara didn't really care what they did. Forcing it with a crowbar would have made her happy and been much faster.

"I'm not entirely sure Emily is involved in this so we deserve her as much to show some respect for her property," he informed his CSI. "We have a right to search, not destroy."

Holding her tongue, Sara just mumbled her response, "Whatever you say."

Russell nodded to the door. "Do it," he instructed.

Stepping up, Sara took her tool and began on the first hinge…

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Basderic hurried from his hiding place and cautiously moved across the grounds. So far, he hadn't come across any unwelcome guests but when he drew closer to the house, he saw flashlights and instantly ducked behind a tree.

He would need to use all his knowledge of his sister's estate in order to reach the house undetected or at least reach the driveway and make it look like he'd just arrived. But most importantly he'd need patience. He _was_ usually a patient man unless something riled him and this just happened to be one of those times. He was incensed at the thought of his nemesis and her associates here. Not yet, it was too soon and this wasn't the way he'd planned the ending. But, what enraged him more was, they were no doubt hassling his baby sister. He really didn't like that.

However, he hung back in the shadows and waited for the right opportunity to move.

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Sara worked her tongue in between the gap in her front teeth as she removed the final screw. Once it was free from its hole, the entire door dropped a touch and she stood back, dropping the screw driver onto a small side table. She glanced to Brass. "Give me a hand?" she asked, moving back to their obstacle.

The captain nodded and stepped up to the door. He waited with arms outstretched as Sara slipped her fingers into the hole where the handle used to be and carefully pulled the door away from the frame. The hard piece of wood fell against them and they both took its weight, moving it across to the left wall and setting it down.

In a flash Sara returned to the now open doorway, flashlight back in her hand, illuminating the path awaiting them. She took a breath as Russell and Brass joined her.

The trio stared dead ahead and down. Before them was a wooden staircase, long and dark. Sara's flashlight didn't offer them much illumination and all squinted in an attempt to get a better view at what faced them.

"I think we're going to need more light," Sara mumbled taking a step forwards despite her words.

Russell grabbed her arm, stopping her from going any further. "Just wait." He fumbled around along the basement wall and found a switch. Flicking it on, he glanced to Sara giving her a smile. "Actual lights help," he said.

Now the staircase illuminated.

Sara inhaled and then pushed the nervous spout of air back through her slightly parted lips. Slowly, she drew her gun from its holster when Russell gave her the nod to advance and Brass did the same, taking the lead.

Sara followed the lawman, taking each wooden step with caution, gun raised and ready. The second step creaked sending a shiver down her spine. She took another breath as they descended further into the unknown…

**A/N: Oooohhh…. Is he down there? Dun dun dun…. Anyone want to guess what's next? I love guesses :) Thanks for reading! xx**


	14. Just a game

**A/N: A ha, I'm back. Lol. Wooza this is a long chapter, I actually didn't realize how long it was until I just did a word check. I could have cut it but I like where it ends plus I think all this needed to be said in one. **

**So, is the team on the right tracks? LOL! **

**Thank you for the support and reviews, please keep them coming. Evil hat gets grumpy if there are no reviews. And, oh boy, do you really want him to be any more grumpy? Please remember if you are not signed in I can't reply to you. And I like to reply to everyone, so for those who are reviewing as "Guest" I thank you for your input.**

**Ok, so Evil hat is getting more Evil, he needs comments! LMAO. Quite a few twists to come in this one. I have my armor on!**

**No beta, so all mistakes are the fault of the hat. **

**Have fuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnn… mwahahahaahahaha!**

Chapter 13

The trio reached the bottom of the staircase and found another door. Sara held her gun up to her shoulder as Brass wrapped his hand around the knob and twisted. This time, the door opened without fuss and the lawman exchanged a quick, nervous glance with the female CSI.

Brass slowly pushed the door open, his right arm outstretched with his weapon in hand. He entered the room, happy to find the light was already on and he had a swift glance around, his gun following his eye line. Sara followed then Russell and the group separated to check the newly found area.

The room was about the same size as the living room and everything inside was pretty open to their view. Numerous tables lay scattered around the room and clean white sheets covered the walls. Considering it was a basement it was very clean and organized but there was a musty smell which came naturally with this kind of underground space.

Sara's sense of aroma heightened and as well as the damp, she could smell something else. Something kind of pungent, possibly glue. There seemed to be no other way in or out other then the door in which they had entered and the only light came from two large bulbs in the center of the beamed ceiling.

Right in the centre of the room sat a large bench, upon it an impressive train track and everything that should go with it. Nothing less than a schoolboys dream.

But there was no Grissom.

Brass lowered his weapon after his visual assessment. "I don't think there's anyone down here," he sighed, his eyes narrowing to do a second scan around. He looked over his shoulder to Sara and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Guess that would have been too easy."

Sara felt her shoulders slumping, lowered her own weapon and sidestepped the captain. Yet again, any hope for her in locating had been dashed.

"Let's just see if we can find anything," Russell suggested, looking over the train track with curiosity. "There could still be a link to Grissom especially if Basderic spent a lot of time down here."

Holstering her weapon, Sara joined her boss as he eyed the large, professionally set up contraption on the centre table. Meters of track, all perfectly linked together with bridges, tunnels, signals, half a dozen trains, all of different varieties. Landscape had been made around the track. Grass, trees, houses, people…

"This must have taken a lot of work," Russell said picking up a small wooden figure. "The people all look hand carved. Most things do actually…And, they are very well made."

Sara shuddered, images of Natalie Davis suddenly springing into her mind. Why did psychopaths like to make her life a misery?

Russell's cell rang and he placed the figure back where he'd found it. "Get looking," he directed Sara as he plucked his phone from his pocket.

She nodded glumly and pulled out her flashlight. The light in the room was okay, but it wasn't fantastic. Stepping away, she began looking around.

Noting the caller was Ecklie, Russell prepared himself. "Conrad?" he answered and then he listened. "You have?…Excellent…"

Sara glanced back to him noting his enthusiastic tone.

"Do you mind sorting to bring her in as well as our suspect? We're a little busy…" A small smile appeared on Russell's lips as he waited for his answer. "Good, thanks." He closed his phone, returning it to his pocket.

"What was that?" Sara asked.

Russell licked his lips. "Ecklie has agreed to the lineup. He's getting Maggie William's picked up for us as well as Mr. Basderic."

Now Sara's eyes glistened and for the first time in a while, she truly smiled. "That's…" She swallowed, "…that could be our break…"

Russell gave her a smile. "For now, we continue as we should. We don't know how long it's going to take to locate them and we have no guarantee it's going to be a positive result." He moved around the table and close to her. "You know how these things can go, don't put all your hopes on it. She may not ID him…"

Biting down on her lip, Sara nodded. She'd definitely had bad experiences with lineups and they were never a conclusive way of getting a suspect but, at least it was something and she had hope. She needed to have hope.

"This place is bizarre," Brass said, breaking up the conversation. The captain picked up a chisel and a half created train from a work bench and frowned. "Ever see our guy doing this kind of thing?" he asked.

"Everyone has passions," Russell responded. "Even killers have hobbies."

"Yeah, like murder," Sara mumbled and moved away from her boss before he could chew her out for her lack of thinking into it. She really didn't care if Basderic could carve, whether he liked trains, horses or whatever the hell he got his kicks from. _She didn't care._ All she wanted was her husband back.

She approached Brass and flicked her light over the work bench he was inspecting. The array of tools upon it was vast. Hammers, saws, mallets, chisels, nails, glue. Ah, the glue, that's what she could smell…

But, one thing really caught her attention and her hand moved to grasp it. Picking up the metallic object she hung it between her fingers and thumb, inspecting it.

Brass watched her. "Now why would he need that?" he asked, glimpsing over the large metal spike.

"I don't know," Sara replied, rotating the object in her hand to catch all angles of it. "Odd there is only one." She dropped the spike and looked around the room again.

Shrugging, Brass moved to the table with the track on it. "Well, maybe he went camping and had one too many."

Something inside Sara told her she didn't believe that but what would he be using them for? Did it even matter? Her thoughts were interrupted when Brass flicked a tiny switched and the track suddenly came to life.

Everyone stood back in surprise as numerous engines started zooming around the track, whistles blew and signals flashed.

Brass blinked hard. "This guy really needs help," he muttered in sarcasm.

Russell stepped up and turned the entertainment off. "Yeah," he mumbled back. "Think we're on the wrong track down here…" He did a full circle in an attempt to give himself clarification.

Sara turned her attention back to the work bench and the tools. She wasn't so sure her boss was one hundred percent correct. Yet, that thought didn't really fill her with delight.

They were interrupted when everyone heard the sound of footsteps. Someone was coming down the stairs. They all turned to see Nick appear in the doorway.

He stared at everyone and then to the table in the centre of the room. "Having fun?" he asked with a frown.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Far from it," she grumbled.

"Have you found anything?" he asked then. "Finn told me you were all down here."

"Nothing immediate to the eye that is of use," Russell replied. He blew out a breath and looked to all his colleagues in turn. "Let's go back upstairs."

Nick looked disappointed as everyone approached him. "I didn't get anything upstairs either."

Sara stopped and looked him in the eye.

"Sorry, Sara," he apologized.

She shook her head. "You found nothing?"

He shrugged. "No. There's an attic but, nothing of use. And, everything is normal upstairs."

Holding her hand to her head, Sara rubbed deeply at the skin trying to will the stress away. She turned to her boss. "I knew we wouldn't find anything in the house. _He isn't in here_."

Russell worked his tongue into his cheek and pointed to the stairs. "We haven't finished searching yet or talking with Emily. So why don't we do that before we start dropping our heads?"

Sara was losing patience now. "I'm getting tired of this," she grumbled, heading for the stairs. "I'll carry on looking…"

Brass and Russell huddled together with Nick. "I'm getting really worried about her," Brass said.

Nick nodded his agreement. "Me too but what can we do? I don't blame her and I can understand her frustration." He held his arms out. "What is all this stuff?"

Russell walked to the door. "Nothing of importance right now," he replied kinking his head. "Come on. Let's get on."

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Nick joined Sara in what they determined to be an office while Russell and Brass returned to living room to continue their discussion with Emily.

"Hey, look at this," Nick said, glancing into an open cupboard.

Sara was quickly by his side and both CSI's glanced over the array of screens before them.

"Got some pretty good CCTV here, lots of cameras, lots of different areas around the estate," Nick said. "Good quality pictures too by the looks of it and even in the dark."

Nodding, Sara visually examined the small keyboard and hard drive which went with the equipment. She smiled. "This hardware should at least back up a month's worth of footage," she said with a positive tone. Unusual for the way she'd felt that day and Nick noticed.

He gave her a smile back. "Maybe we got a break?"

"God, I hope so," she responded.

Now Nick nodded. "If he brought Grissom in here…" He pointed to the screens. "These babies would have picked it up." He placed a hand on Sara's shoulder. "We might have got him…."

Sara felt her chest swell. This was definitely encouraging. "I feel bad for what Emily went through but now I feel so happy that she feels the need for security."

Nick gave her a grin. "I need to get some discs so we can start copying this footage. I got some in the truck."

"Okay." Sara gave him an encouraging shove. "Go…hurry up."

He gave her a wink and rushed from the room.

Sara clenched the fingers together on her right hand. Was this it? Would this footage give them what they needed? She smiled again, hopeful, but then her smile faltered a touch as something on a desk in the corner caught her eye. She slowly walked across the room and picked up the photograph which lay next to a stack of papers. She frowned.

"Russell!" she called.

Russell, who was back talking with Emily and trying to coax her into talking about her brother, heard Sara's call from the next room. "Excuse me," he said. Standing, he went in search of his CSI.

"Yeah?" he asked entering the office. "Got something?"

"Oh yes," she replied almost gleefully. She pointed to the cupboard. "We found lots of CCTV cameras for one. Nick's gone to get some discs so we can copy the footage. It should prove to us if Gil was brought in here. And…" Sara held up the photograph, "…look familiar? She stated more than asked.

Taking the photo frame from her, Russell stared at it. It was a picture of Emily on a horse with her brother and a man standing beside the animal. It took him a few moments to realize exactly who the man was. His eyes shot back to Sara. "That's..."

"Our helpful security officer from the airport," Sara confirmed for him.

Russell looked to the ceiling, his head lightly shaking. Then, he turned, heading back into the living room and Sara quickly followed. He motioned a come-hither finger to Brass.

The captain, with his brow rising, got the message and joined his colleague. Russell handed him the photo. "Oh boy," Brass whispered seeing Tom Draper in the picture with Emily.

"How long have you known him, Jim?" Russell questioned as Sara stepped up to join her boss.

"Um..." Brass rubbed the back of his neck, blowing out a breath "...about ten years. We're not bosom buddies but he can't be involved in this..."

Russell gave him a sympathetic smile, retook the photo and approached Emily again. He held up the picture. "Who's this Emily?" he asked.

Emily looked up and smiled. "That's Tom. He's very nice."

"Is he your boyfriend?

She giggled. "Noooo…We're friends, he and my brother have known each other since High School. He helps me with my horses a lot. He's a great help…" she stopped, realizing she wasn't supposed to talk about her brother. She'd already said too much about his room.

Sara firmly folded her arms at the woman's sudden silence but she didn't interfere in the conversation.

Russell gave Emily a smile, picked up his file from the end of the sofa and sat opposite her. He pulled out a picture of Grissom and held it out. "Do you know this man?" he asked.

Taking the photograph, Emily looked at it. "Oh, he's very handsome," she said, "But no, sorry.

"You've never seen him before?"

Emily shook her head.

"Please tell me about your brother, Emily," Russell requested. "It's really important and it will help us find this man." He pointed to Grissom's picture.

Now, for the first time, Emily gave them a negative response. "I can't do that," she said, handing him the photograph back. "Ronald doesn't like being talked about. I'm sorry."

Nick reentered the house and noticed the friction in the air. He held up the discs. "Do you think she can help me with the hard drive? Might save some time…"

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Basderic snuck close to the house without being seen so he was comfortable he could now reveal himself. He wasn't even sure, given the amount of activity and searching going on, whether anyone would notice him anyway.

He stepped from the shadows and onto the pathway leading from the stable area about twenty meters from the house. Walking with confidence he headed straight for the main door. He was within reaching distance when an officer spotted him, shinning his flashlight over sudden visitor.

"Hey!" the lawman shouted. "Stop!"

Basderic ignored the man and continued on course, going right for the open door.

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"Just wait a minute," Russell said to Nick, determined to try and get some information from Emily. He had the feeling he could get it. She just needed a little more coaxing. "Why is that, Emily?" he questioned the young woman's gently.

Nick just did as he was told and moved to stand with Sara even just to keep his eyes on her. She didn't look too happy again.

Emily sighed. "Because…"

She didn't get any further though for her sibling rushed through the front door and into the room.

"Oh shit," Brass mumbled, spotting him.

"How did he get up here?" Russell asked, shooting to his feet.

.

Emily looked over her shoulder. "He has a key for the gate," she replied, standing with a smile, happy to see her brother.

"What the hell are you doing?" Basderic shouted but the officer from outside pounced and grabbed him before he got any further.

Sara stepped forwards just as he was being restrained and her eyes instantly locked with her adversaries. Nick was swift though and shot out an arm, tugging her back to him.

"Don't," he whispered.

Basderic struggled. "Let me go," he demanded. "And let her go as well. She _hasn't_ done anything."

"You shouldn't be up here, Mr. Basderic," Russell warned as the younger man winced when his arms were pulled behind his back. "How did you get passed all the officers?"

Now Emily got upset. "You're hurting him!" she cried, holding her hands to her face.

Finn stepped in and delicately took her arm to prevent her from interfering.

"It's okay, Emily," Basderic attempted to calm his sister and stopped struggling. He glared at the senior CSI. "I walked," he responded sarcastically. "That's how I got here."

Russell's eyes narrowed. Something just didn't feel right.

"Let me go!" Basderic demanded again. "I'll have your job, all of your jobs!" he spat.

"Let him go!" Emily shouted now.

Russell sighed, this wasn't where he wanted to go with this but after Mr. Basderic's unexpected interruption he sensed something was off. Basderic was seriously rattled; and the supervisor suspected if he pushed hard enough, he could rattle him just a little more. Maybe even enough for him to make a mistake.

"Take her to the car, Jim, would you? Finn, you stay with her. We'll finish questioning Emily downtown," Russell suggested. "And _you_…" He pointed a finger at Sara, "…stay _right _there," he warned her, sensing movement from her again.

Emily looked confused as Brass reached for her arm. "What….what's happening?" She shot her brother a terrified glance.

Russell stepped towards Basderic. "Your sister is being taken down town so we can continue talking with her. Now do you want to help her out before she ends up giving herself a seizure? _You know_ I can do this and I'd rather do it as painlessly as possible…for her sake."

The look Basderic gave Russell could have knocked a man dead but he wasn't about to risk his sisters health for the sake of bickering. He managed to pull his arms free. "Emily," he said softly. "Just go with the officers, okay, Honey? They won't hurt you, I promise and I'll come get you real soon."

Sara almost laughed at the sudden change in his demeanor, but she refrained.

Emily took a breath, trusting her brother, she always did. "Is this part of the game?"

Basderic frowned for a second but then gave her a smile albeit a fake one. "Sure," he said, "Just a game."

"You promise you won't be long?" she asked as Brass gently urged her round the sofa and towards her brother and the door. Finn followed. "I'm not usually very good when I play games on my own."

His smile remained. "I promise."

Now she gave him a smile as she passed him and he turned to watch as she vanished through the door.

The look which groomed upon his features once Emily was out of sight told everyone he was not a happy man. He spun back around to glare at Russell. "How dare you?" he spat, raising his right hand and pointing a stern finger. "Do you have any idea about her mental stability? _You _could send her into a seizure, not me. I look after her, I care for her!" His attention suddenly shifted to Sara as she took a step closer.

The hate the two people held for each other at that moment was so evident it could have been bottled and sold.

Sara kinked her head and glanced at his hand. "You've got a nice bruise coming there. You didn't have it earlier" she stated. "Have an accident?"

,

Basderic pulled his hand back. "None of your business," he spat."

Russell frowned at Sara's observation but felt it best break up the confrontation. He gave Basderic a generous smile. "Your sister was doing fine until you turned up and unless you want to join her downtown, I'd suggest you leave right now. We are still searching and you are contaminating the scene." Russell remembered about the lineup. "In fact you are required…"

Basderic's attention shot right back to the supervisor and he cut him off. "What right do you have to even look at her?" he shouted.

The officer grabbed him once more as his aggression grew again.

Russell's smile remained. "I don't need to discuss that with you and you need to calm down before you are arrested."

"For what?" Basderic growled.

Looking over his shoulder, Russell checked on Sara. Turning back to Basderic his smile now faded, "For breaking your restraining order."

"Oh...I get it...Now you play that card, huh?" Basderic replied but calmly now. "Let me go," he ordered the officer.

The officer looked to Russell and he nodded.

Stepping back, the officer released his grip and Basderic shrugged him off. "I'm presuming you have a warrant if you're searching the house. Let me see it," he demanded, holding out his hand.

"Will that get you to step away?"

Basderic didn't answer but held his ground, his arm still out stretched.

Brass returned, rounding Basderic to join Russell again. "Emily's waiting in the car," he informed the CSI.

Russell nodded. "Mr. Basderic would like to see the warrant. Show it to him would you?"

With his top lip curling, Brass reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the envelope. "With pleasure," he responded, holding it out.

Basderic bitterly snatched the envelope from the lawman and pulled the paper from within. He looked over the warrant, reading every word very carefully. A smirk curved upon his lips. "This warrant covers the grounds and the grounds only. What are you doing in the house?"

Russell's eyes widened and he took the warrant back. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when he realized Basderic was exactly right.

Basderic snorted. "Did you not check the warrant when you got it?" he asked sarcastically. "Silly, silly…"

The supervisor turned and glared at Nick and the younger CSI swallowed hard. "I…how is it my fault? I didn't ask for warrant I just collected it."

Brass bit down on his lip. This was not an easy error to get out of.

"I think it's time _you all left_," Basderic said smugly. "And I'm sure you will have the correct warrant soon enough but, not until I have made a complaint and, until that time, get the hell off my sister's property. Your right to search has just been revoked as you have broken the terms of your warrant."

Russell lowered his head feeling stupid and frustrated. Although they hadn't found much yet there was still a lot they needed to look at and go through. The CCTV alone, he was sure, would be a most vital piece of the puzzle and now he couldn't touch it.

He looked up and to his team. Nick looked annoyed he was getting the blame, Brass looked like he was getting a headache and Sara looked mortified, her head was shaking as she tried to compute what was happening.

Clearing his throat, Russell gave Basderic his attention for a final time. "I'll be seeing you real soon," he warned.

Basderic simply smiled. "Sooner than you think," he returned.

"You are wanted for a lineup, Ronald," Russell informed their suspect, "So, yes. I will have some officers wait and escort you. So we'll catch up in a little while."

Basderic's eyes narrowed. "They can wait outside. I have a call to my lawyer to make first."

Russell sighed knowing he didn't have any choice about being in the house now. "Everyone get your things, we're leaving."

Nick muttered under his breath and retrieved his kit from the base of the stairs before brushing past his boss and out of the house.

Sara just stood, static, her eyes wearing a hole into her enemy.

"Brass, get Sara's kit would you?" Russell requested to the captain.

The lawman didn't bother answering, he just blew out a breath and headed for the office, returning a few seconds later with Sara's kit in hand. "Come on, Sara," he urged, standing beside his friend. He held her kit up to her.

"He's here," Sara mumbled under her breath. "I know he's here and I can't believe we are leaving without him."

The captain slipped his arm through hers and tugged. "There's nothing we can do until we get the right warrant."

Disgruntled, Sara allowed herself to be led towards the door and Basderic moved to his left in order to put a safe distance between the two.

"Didn't find what you were looking for?" Basderic chuckled just as Sara was about to step from the house. "Such a shame…"

She spun around, her teeth gritting and she went to make a leap for him but Russell was quick to grab her and usher her out the door before she did something she would regret.

"Don't, Sara!" he implored as he pushed her through the doorway. He held her arm as they stood outside. "He doesn't need any more fuel for his fire, okay? He's got enough to burn us all right now as it is."

Luckily for her, Russell didn't reprimand her too harshly as he felt as frustrated as she did.

She pulled away from him and somberly walked over to Nick. They did not look like a happy duo.

Brass's cell rang. He placed Sara's kit down and pulled the appliance from his inner jacket pocket. He answered it. "Yeah?"

Russell watched the captain as he took the call.

"What?" Brass moaned sharply and then his head dropped on a heavy sigh. "Right…" He closed the phone and shook his head, facing Russell as he approached him.

The supervisor could sense something was wrong.

"Jim?"

Brass cleared his throat, looking around. "Got a _419_. We need to get down there."

Russell looked surprised, hadn't they got enough to do without being called to a dead body? "Erm...we are a little busy you know. Both swing and days are covering the other cases. Get someone else to..."

"It's Maggie Williams," Brass sighed again.

Russell felt his pupils double. "From the rental place?" he asked stunned.

"Yeah..." Brass ran an unsteady hand over the back of his neck.

The supervisor dropped his own head now, his sigh audible to everyone around him. He held a hand to his forehead and looked to Sara.

She noticed and gave him a confused look, moving towards him.

"Right...um..." He shook his head trying to think.

"What's going on?" Sara asked as she reached her boss.

Russell held up a hand. "Everybody over here," he called, waving his hand back and forth.

Finn, who was stood by a patrol car, taking with Emily though the window, moved towards the group, leaving the young woman chatting to a female officer about her horses. She quickly joined Nick and Sara and all three waited for their boss to speak.

"Maggie Williams has just been found dead," Russell told his crew.

Sara's mouth dropped open. "What?" she questioned. "How?"

"I don't have any details yet," Russell answered. "But let's get everything together. We will come back here as soon as we can. Hopefully, we can get the proper damn warrant within a few hours."

Nick looked away feeling embarrassed. It wasn't his fault but he knew he should have checked the warrants specifics. It's not often they got them wrong...

Russell continued. "Sara, Nick, you're coming with me to the scene. Finn, get back to the lab and keep Emily company until I get there." He held up a finger. "Keep her happy and keep her calm. I'll be at the lab as soon as I can. And expect Mr. Basderic. Just keep him away from his sister. He doesn't know the lineup is off, so I'm still having him taken downtown."

Finn blew a breath but nodded. "Well at least we will know where he is," she said.

"Exactly," Russell replied. "Well, let's go; get your things packed up."

Everyone moved but Sara, she just stared at her supervisor. "He got to her before we could bring her in for the lineup," she theorized.

Russell worked his jaw. "Get your things," he repeated but softly this time.

Sara shook her head and sighed but did as she was told.

Basderic watched from the doorway as the CSI's and police officers packed up and drove away into the darkness. All but one car which he knew was waiting for him.

The smile on his face soon vanished when he realized just how fortunate he'd been.

Now there was so much more he had to do that he hadn't planned on. He was not happy and that fury would be unleashed.

But, first things first and right now, he had very little time to do the one vital thing he must do…

**A/N: Dun… dun… dun… Oh deary me. Things just aren't going well are they? Will they be able to catch a break? Mr B ain't a happy bunny but he likes trains so it's all good, lol. What next? **


	15. One hell of a mess

**A/N: I couldn't help myself so I thought I'd post again before I disappear into a weekend at work. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Evil hat certainly isn't about to let up anytime soon. Eeeep. Still lots to come.**

**No beta so all mistakes are mine.**

**Thank you for all your comments and reviews, please keep them coming. As a GSR lover I need to know the supporters are still out there!**

Chapter 14

Grissom muffled a sob, no matter how hard he tried; he couldn't free the tape from his mouth. Sweat oozed from his forehead, along his cheeks and down his neck to form a soggy mass inside the collar of his shirt.

His effort to gain any form of help was a futile one and his struggle just sapped away at his remaining energy. He looked up to the ceiling again, his eyes heavy and sore. It had been some time now since Basderic had left him and he'd heard not a sound since the door had slammed closed. If the team were still here, where ever _here_ was, they hadn't got close yet.

Again, all he could do was wait. He dropped his head unable to hold it up any longer. He really could use some more water but he knew that wasn't going to happen. Closing his eyes, he fought against the pain again only to think of the inevitable and that he would eventually pass out.

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Sara sat silently in the back of the SUV. Nick drove to the scene while Russell talked on the phone with Ecklie. Brass followed behind in a squad car.

"_I don't know_ how we got the wrong warrant, Conrad…" Sara heard her boss say and gazed out of the window.

Russell nodded his head. "Yes…_yes, I get it, okay_? But we need a new warrant. We must get that CCTV from the house and we _have_ to get it _now. _It may very well tell us where Grissom_ is…_" The supervisor sighed and bowed his head. "I understand that…"

Nick frowned, attempting to work out the conversation. He could vaguely hear Ecklie but he couldn't make out what he was saying. He gathered he wasn't happy though.

Sara just watched the flicker of the street lights as they zoomed by. She felt like she was rapidly losing her mind. Something had to give soon or she truly feared she would snap.

Russell sighed again. "Yes, I'll take full responsibility."

Sara turned her head, looking to the front as her boss continued.

"Thank you, Conrad. I know I'm right about this." Russell looked up and through the rear view mirror to gain eye contact with Sara. "I'm with Sara on this one and I'm pretty damn sure he's in there. If we don't move quickly, Basderic will have the chance to cover his tracks. Erm…so to speak."

There was another pause and both Sara and Nick waited to hear what was next, not counting Russell's last comment as a pun because it wasn't one.

"No, he won't be able to do anything right now. I have officers waiting to bring him in. As far as he knows it's for the lineup but he'll be on the rampage because of his sister anyway. At least this way we know where he is and it gives us chance to get back to the house before he starts fixing or hiding things."

Russell pointed through the window. "Turn here, Nick. It will be quicker."

Nick nodded and followed his boss's instructions.

"Yes, fine," Russell continued. "I'll explain everything when I get back to the lab." He closed the phone before Ecklie could chew him out any further.

Shuffling in his seat, Nick shot his supervisor a quick glance. "He's not happy?"

"Far from it," Russell responded, tapping his cell on his thigh. "Basderic's lawyer has already been in touch. He's threatening to sue."

Nick cringed. He knew that wouldn't be good for the department even if Basderic was guilty as hell.

"_You actually_ think I'm right?" Sara now cut into the conversation.

Russell turned to look at her. "Yeah, I do."

Sara gave him half a smile.

"One thing niggled at me with Basderic tonight."

"_Just one thing_?" Sara questioned.

Now he smiled and held up a finger. "He lives, what; a good forty minutes away from his sisters place right? And that's in good traffic."

Sara nodded.

"I didn't see his car at Emily's, so how did he get there so fast?"

Sara's mouth opened but then she paused, thinking.

"Maybe he got a cab," Nick suggested. "Emily could have easily called him after she let us in the gate."

"I doubt the cab," Russell replied, alternating his eyes between his two CSI's. "I don't think Mr. Basderic likes wasting money on cabs. Plus, wouldn't the cab have brought him up to the house? Why walk all that way from the gate? It's not a short walk especially if you're in a hurry."

It struck Sara then. "He was already there," she muttered, her eyes widening. "He must have been with Gil…"

Russell slowly nodded. "I think so…"

"_And we just walked away_?" she cried unhappily.

"It's a theory, Sara," he pointed out. "To prove it, we need evidence."

Sara sat back and huffed. "We need the CCTV and we left it."

Nick cleared his throat feeling the need to end the conversation. Without the new warrant they couldn't do anything and Sara getting wound up even more about it wouldn't help anyone. "We're here," he announced pulling up amongst the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles outside the victims house.

"Ecklie is working on the warrant, it shouldn't be too long." Russell attempted to give Sara some positivity but she simply grabbed her kit, reached for the door handle and left the truck without answering him.

Russell worked his jaw.

"She'll calm down," Nick said.

"I_ really_ hope so," Russell answered, exiting the vehicle.

Nick blew out a breath, reached for his own kit and joined his colleagues.

Brass exited the squad car. "I called control," he informed the group of CSI's. "They are looking for Tom Draper as we speak so we can have a chat with him about how helpful he may have been to our suspect at the airport."

"Russell gave him a nod. "Good." He pointed to the house. "Let's go, time is something we don't have right now."

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Russell, Nick, Brass and Sara ducked underneath the crime scene tape surrounding the small detached house. Numerous officers were outside, flicking their flashlights around as the beams from the surrounding squad cars glimmered across the garden.

They all walked through the front door and into an open plan living room and kitchen.

Their eyes first came upon David. He was hovering over the body with his back to them just a few short meters away.

Sara looked around, making mental notes of what she could immediately see.

The house wasn't that clean and a quite untidy. Used coffee cups and empty chip packets lay on a coffee table by the TV. She noted a thick layer of dust on the book shelving off to her right and numerous magazines just dropped in random places across the floor. Dirty dishes lay upon the sideboard in the kitchen and Sara guessed the sink would also be full of them.

There were plants around but most seemed neglected and were dying. More than likely Maggie's work schedule hadn't aided her ability to look after the foliage or keep a clean house.

A door was visible in the very far right hand corner of the kitchen, possibly leading to a back porch area with an exit.

Upon first inspections, there didn't appear to be any immediate signs of a struggle though.

David looked over his shoulder. "Hey," he said standing and revealing the body to everyone. His previous position was blocking their view.

"Hey…" Russell responded, looking down at the body as did his three colleagues. "What have we got?" he asked as they all moved around the victim to form a circle.

The knife sticking out of Maggie's back was pretty evident to all but more so to Sara. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on the handle of the weapon.

"Maggie Williams, as you know," David began his assessment. "Thirty two years old. Fatal stab wound to the back. No defensive marks, no signs of struggle. Taken by surprise would be my guess…"

Nick pulled his camera from his shoulder and began snapping photos of the body.

"…I'd say the blow severed the spinal cord but I won't be sure until after autopsy."

Sara was still staring at the knife as Nick continued taking shots and Russell listened to David.

"Time of death?" Russell asked.

"I'd say from her liver temp, four to six hours," David replied looking to Nick. "You want me to take the knife out now so I can turn her?" he asked.

Nick looked to his boss, swinging the camera back over his shoulder before pulling gloves from his pocket and slipping them onto his hands. Russell crouched down by the deceased, looking at his watch. It was just passing _11pm_. "Four to six hours," he mumbled.

"Not long after we released Basderic," Sara interjected.

Russell looked up to her running his tongue along his teeth. The threat of a lineup had definitely spooked their suspect. Was this his way of making sure it didn't happen?

"I'm going to look around," Brass said, stepping away.

The supervisor turned back to David and pointed to the knife. "Pull it," he directed.

David nodded and took a firm grip on the weapon. He tugged but it didn't come loose. He blushed. "Sorry, it's quite deep."

Sara squirmed. Stabbings weren't her most favorite of things, especially lately.

The assistant coroner pulled again and this time the knife came free.

Sara took a step back and a gasp fell from her lips when she got a full look at the knife.

Russell pushed himself up noting her expression. "You okay?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I recognize that knife," she admitted.

Frowning, Russell pointed to the weapon. "_That knife_?" he questioned.

Now Sara nodded, almost dumbly.

"_Don't tell me_…" Russell sighed.

Sara took a deep breath. "I have a set just like that; I know it's the same because of the silver band around the handle." A horrible clenching began in her gut. He'd been in her home again. He'd taken the knife. She knew it.

"_You think that belongs to you_?" Nick now asked a little stunned.

Sara held a hand to her forehead. Her mouth opened but she wasn't quite sure what to say.

Russell took out his own latex gloves, slipping them onto his hands. "Let's just get the scene sorted; we can work out where the knife came from afterwards."

Sara just agreed with a nod and a heavy swallow.

"Sara, check the kitchen and the back, see if there was any forced entry," Russell instructed.

Taking her kit, Sara did as she was told and slowly disappeared into the kitchen.

Nick slipped his hands to his hips and gave his boss his undivided attention once Sara was out of ear shot. "If that knife is linked to Sara," he began, "We are in one hell of a mess here."

"We're already in one hell of a mess," Russell replied, holding the knife up to the light to get a better view. "But I need to know where we are at before I step away from here."

Nick frowned as his boss squinted, spotting something. The younger CSI drew closer to his superior. "You see something?" he asked.

"Hmmm…" Russell lowered the knife and had a look around. "You see any more blood anywhere apart from just here and what's come from this body?"

Now Nick had a glance around. "Not off hand, why?"

"There looks to be two different types of blood on this knife." He held the weapon out and both Nick and David had a closer look. "We've got fresh blood on the blade from our victim but we've also got some dried blood here on the handle. And it looks old. I don't think it belongs to Miss Williams."

David blinked. "You think there's another victim?" he asked. "Or maybe, it could have come from our killer…"

Russell didn't jump to any conclusions because he simply didn't know. Right now, he'd come to realize that anything was possible so he wasn't ruling anything out.

"Get this printed while I go check on Sara," he instructed Nick, urging him to take the weapon.

Nick nodded and carefully took the knife.

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Russell walked through the kitchen and headed for the door which was now open. He found Sara crouched down in a small porch area next to a door which led to the back garden. She had the door open and she was examining the woodwork, torch in hand, eyes narrowed and firmly on her task at hand.

She felt him approaching. "This has definitely been forced," she said looking up to him. "The locks broken and the wood is splintered on the frame."

Kneeling beside his worker Russell inspected the door, "Made easy work of it by the looks of it. Not too much damage."

Sara nodded her agreement, pushing herself up and Russell followed suit, "An easy task for a craftsman," Sara added.

Russell got her point. Basderic was good with wood and getting through a door lock that simple wouldn't have taken him much effort.

The supervisor tried to play the scene through in his head. The attacker made easy work of the lock entering the porch. He then quietly entered through the kitchen door…

Russell moved back into the kitchen and Sara followed.

Staring around the area Russell tried to work out why Maggie would have been in the position she was, especially with no signs of a struggle. He spotted it then, on a small table, just a stone's throw away from the body.

"She went to answer the telephone," Sara said before he had the chance to finish working out the play of things. She looked back to the direction of the kitchen door. "That's why her back was to him. She probably never even heard him."

Nick spotted his boss. "Got two sets of prints," he informed him. He checked his phone after sending his findings to Mandy, "Just getting the results through now."

Both Russell and Sara joined their colleague.

Sara's face popped up on the screen and Nick swallowed hard. He looked to her and she sighed.

"My prints?" she asked albeit knowingly.

He nodded holding up the phone for them to see.

"Not much of a surprise there then," Russell said.

Sara's heart beat a little faster and she tried to calm herself. The hole Basderic was trying to dig for her was just getting bigger and bigger.

"What about the second set?" Russell urged.

Nick shrugged, "Depends if Mandy got a hit."

They waited for the results from the second print. It didn't take too long but this time Nick's face totally dropped when the ID flashed up at him. "What the…" he mumbled but cut himself short.

Sara frowned. "What? Who is it?" she insisted.

"Grissom?" Nick questioned as he held up the phone for a second time. He laughed. "Come on? How can Grissom's prints be on this knife? And all five of his prints? I found _all five_ prints from the same hand on there. Now that's just nuts, man." The level three CSI looked well and truly confused now.

Feeling her legs weakening, Sara took a step back and leaned against the sofa.

Nick continued. "Even if the knife was taken from Sara's, it would have been washed, in a dishwasher. So the only prints on there would have been hers as she put the knife away. I understand that but how the hell did _his _prints get on there?"

Russell noticed Sara had backed away and spun around to face her. She suddenly looked terribly pale. "You alright?" he asked, moving in close to her.

She shook her head, she felt sick again. "What the hell is he doing to my husband to get his prints on there?" she whimpered.

Russell thought about the blood on the knife. Did the dried blood belong to Grissom? He refrained from mentioning it for now. Sara had enough going through her head as it was.

"What's going on?" Brass reappeared and quickly noticed Sara didn't look too great.

"We got prints from the knife," Russell informed him.

Brass looked surprised. "Well, that's good isn't it?"

Russell pulled out his cell phone. "Not exactly. One set of prints belongs to Sara and the other…Grissom."

"_What_?" Brass coughed.

Russell gave him a raised eyebrow and held up his cell. "I'm going to get swing to come in and take over here."

Sara raised her head to glare at him. "_Why_?" she questioned.

"For one, your prints are on the murder weapon and so are your husbands, the one man we are trying to find…"

"_You_…" She shot straight, a fierce look in her eyes.

He held up a hand. "Calm down and let me finish," he warned.

Sara folded her arms, hugging herself tightly. "_He took that knife from my home_," she spat.

Russell continued, finding he now needed a firm stance. He was a professional and no matter how much he cared for his team he still had a job to do and he had his limitations. "You know you can't continue to process with that kind of finding. No matter how your prints got on there. Anything you found would be burned in court. "

Sara frowned at him; court was the very last thing on her mind.

"I know what you're thinking and don't go there," he cautioned. "Yes, I want to find Grissom but we also need to make sure we put Basderic away and to do that we need to be professional and do our jobs properly. Do you really want him to get away due to tainted evidence again?"

Sara failed to answer so Russell pushed.

"_Do you_?"

Now she shook her head. "No," she whispered.

His head bobbed. "Good. Now I suggest you go home and check out your house. Check to see if the knife came from there and whether anything else is missing. Can you do that?"

Sara swallowed but nodded.

"Nick, go with her," Russell instructed. "Meet me back at the lab when you're done. I'll get someone to drop me back there."

Nick shrugged. "Okay…"

Russell turned to Brass. "Jim, can you assist in finding Mr. Draper. The quicker we can question him, the better."

"Sure," Brass muttered.

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Sara slipped her key into the door lock but stopped. She looked over her shoulder and gave Nick a nervous look.

He gave her a smile of support.

She took a breath, twisted the key and pushed the door open. Quickly, she moved to the alarm panel and punched in the key code.

"Well, that's still working," she concluded.

Nick closed the door behind him and looked over the keypad. "Well, if he's been here then he either has the code or he knows how to bypass a system like this. Plus he'd need a key..."

Sara rolled her eyes as she stepped through the floral entrance room and into her living room. "He's done it before," she sighed. "I don't know about the key but I should have upgraded the system last time although I didn't expect a repeat visit."

She went right into the kitchen and Nick followed. His eyes wandered en route and he noticed Sara hadn't changed anything since the last time he was in her home. The photos of her and Grissom still remained.

Moving to the corner of the counter, Sara stopped. Her eyes immediately passed over the knife block and she found her teeth digging heavily into her bottom lip. So much it actually hurt.

A wave of nausea passed over her yet again. "He's been here," she said quietly. She turned to her colleague. "The main knife is missing."

Stepping around her, Nick eyed the knife block and indeed there was a hole seeking its tool. "It's not in the dishwasher or anything?"

Sara leaned against the counter, sighed heavily and folded her arms over her chest. She shook her head, the sick feeling in her stomach growing. "No. I haven't used those in months. Last time was when Gil came for a visit. I don't cook much when I'm alone."

Nick looked around the kitchen. "Maybe you should go and see if anything else is missing. I need to take some pictures of the block and then I'll take a look around to see if he forced his way in or not."

Giving a somber nod, Sara pushed from the counter and headed towards her bedroom. She checked around and nothing seemed out of place or missing.

That was until she walked into the bathroom and clattered right into something hanging from the middle of the door frame.

On instinct she swiped at the object which seemed to be hanging on a piece of string and stood back.

Eventually the string stopped swaying and Sara gasped when her eyes fixed upon the object looped through the thread…

**A/N: Ahhh…so what has she found? At least Russell seems to be on board with Sara, well, for now, lol. But will she mess things up again? Oh evil hat…. Thoughts please! :)**


	16. Live with the consequences

**A/N: Hey guys. Here is another chapter. Let's see what Sara found and how worried Mr B may be getting shall we? I think he may be requiring some anger management pretty soon. Evil hat is raring and ready to go. Poor Grissom :(**

**Thanks for the reviews, hat is very grateful that you love him :)**

**No beta so all and any mistakes are mine. **

**Have fun. Mwahahahaha!**

Chapter 15

The gold staring at Sara sparkled, hitting a beam of light coming through the bathroom window.

On jelly like legs she took a step forward and reached out, grabbing the dangling object that beckoned her, yanking on the string so it snapped from the frame. She pulled the string away, dropped it to the floor and stared at the ring lying in the palm of her hand. Her mouth worked in nervous, silent circles. It was her husband's wedding band.

"No sign of forced entry," Nick said entering the room. "You find anything?"

Torturously slowly, she turned to face him and he immediately noted the expression on her face and something in her hand.

"_You found something_?"

"Umm...you could say that." She held up her hand. "This is Gil's wedding band...It was hanging from the bathroom door..."

Nick took a heavy swallow. "Are you sure that's his?"

"_It's his_," she confirmed. "It looks exactly the same as it did the day I slipped it onto his finger."

"And you just found it _hanging_?"

She glared at him. "You sound like you don't believe me."

He pulled a glove from his pocket, looking to the carpet. He crouched down and retrieved the piece of string which she had discarded. Eyeing the thread he looked it over. "I believe you," he replied, looking her in the eye. "It's just...not what I expected we'd find." He slipped the string into a bag from his pocket and then held out his hand.

She took a step back and scowled at him. "You're not having this."

"Sara…"

She shook her head.

"It's evidence," he persisted. "We should bag it."

Turning away from him she reached to the chain around her neck and unclipped it. "I don't care," she replied. "There won't be prints on it. I know that for a fact. It's just another little game for him. Another way he can taunt me." She slipped her husband's ring onto her chain and replaced it around her neck, sighing when she tucked it under her shirt. She held her hand over it and closed her eyes. "This stays with me until I get the chance to give it back to Gil." Spinning around, she faced her colleague. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Nick knew arguing with her wasn't going to get him anywhere. He shrugged. "No. No problem," he muttered. Clearing his throat, he pulled out his cell phone.

Sara's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Reporting me are you?" she questioned.

Scrunching his lips together, Nick shook his head, "Just checking something." He hit call and waited…

"Hey, Nick," Greg answered. "What's going on? Russell just got back. Everything's pretty tense down here right now."

"We'll be on our way back pretty soon," Nick replied. "I just need you to check something out for me."

"What do you need?"

Nick kept eye contact with Sara as he continued. "You still on the airport CCTV?"

"Yeah, well, just about to step away. We finally got a face messing with the camera."

Nick's brow rose. "Oh? _You did_?"

Sara noticed his change in tone. "What?" she questioned.

He held up a hand to halt her questioning until he actually got an answer. "Do we know who it is?"

"Morgan says it's the security guy who was helping you out at the airport."

Nick half smiled. "Great, at last we have a positive link. Brass is looking for him already."

Sara began tapping her foot upon the carpet; she didn't like being left in the dark. Nick noticed her posture and hurried the call along. He cleared his throat. "Can you find Grissom on the footage and see if he is wearing his wedding band?"

Huffing, Sara slammed her hands to her hips. He didn't believe her at all.

"I guess," Greg answered and Nick heard the tapping of fingers to keyboard as he waited. "Is there a reason why?"

"I'll explain later," Nick returned.

There was a pause for a minute and then Greg came back with an answer. "Yep, he is."

"Are you sure?" Nick felt he needed confirmation.

"_I'm sure. He is_ wearing his wedding band."

Nick nodded. "Thanks. I'll catch up with you shortly." He hit end call and swallowed hard when he noticed the unimpressed look Sara was now giving him. "It's not what you think," he insisted.

"Then what the hell is it?" she spat, holding out her arms. "You said you believed me and now you're checking to see if I'm lying?"

Biting down on his bottom lip, Nick slipped his phone into his inner jacket pocket. "I wasn't checking for you."

"What do you mean?"

Folding his arms across his chest, Nick gave her a smile. "It proves someone broke in here, planted the ring and _could_ have taken the knife at the same time. If he wasn't wearing the ring at the airport, it could be argued you had it all along and that you are just making up that you found it. They could say no one actually did break in here and that…"

"I could have been involved…" Sara finished for him.

"Exactly. I think that's Basderic's plan, to frame you." His smile grew. "But, you have been with Russell ever since the airport. You couldn't have planted the ring or stabbed Maggie. We all know that."

Sara ran a hand through her hair. "But the way Basderic is playing this, we're not exactly piling up the evidence against him, are we?"

"We will," he reassured. "Come on…" He kinked his head towards the door. "Let's get back to the lab. I'll call Russell on the way to let him know what we found. We should get another team in here too to print and I suggest we ask for a patrol to watch the house, just in case Ronald decides to make a return visit."

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Russell headed straight for Ecklie's office after dropping the murder weapon into Hodges. The receptionist had tipped him off that Ecklie was not in the best of moods. He found the lawman sitting at his desk, looking through a file.

Tentatively, Russell knocked on the door and Ecklie looked up from his paper work.

"Take a seat," Ecklie urged.

Stepping into the office, Russell remained standing. "I'd rather not waste any more time," he replied.

Ecklie placed the file down and entwined his fingers together over his desk. "Basderic is here, along with Marshall Smith, one of his family attorneys. And they are demanding answers…"

"Aren't we all?" Russell countered.

"Let me finish," Ecklie demanded, standing. "I have the DA chewing my ass off right now. Basderic has placed numerous complaints…"

Russell slipped his hands into his pockets and rolled his eyes.

"Firstly, why has he been escorted down here for a lineup when the witness is already dead?"

"How did he know she was dead?"

Ecklie smiled. "Nice try but he was informed when he arrived and that the lineup would no longer be going ahead."

Russell's upper lip curled.

"Secondly, why did your team and fellow law enforcement trespass upon his family property without the proper paperwork to empower their visit?"

The supervisor went to argue but Ecklie stopped him with a firm rise of his hand. "And thirdly, why has his mentally unfit sister been dragged into questioning without a guardian or proper representation? Not to mention Mr. Smith has greatly expressed his concern about Sara's involvement in the case and the accusations against his clients."

"Emily hasn't been accused of anything and she isn't under arrest," Russell argued. "She is aiding with our enquiry and the same goes for her brother. And you know about the warrant, that's not my fault. We didn't take anything from the estate yet as I knew we couldn't."

Ecklie pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "And what about Sara? You still think it's a good idea for her to continue working on this?

Russell took a firm stance now. "_I know_ she's right about Grissom. He is on that estate. I can feel it in my blood and I would wager my job on it."

Leaning over his desk, Ecklie picked up a piece of paper. "It can be dangerous to gamble," Ecklie argued. "The only reason I am allowing this to continue is because _it is Grissom. _Here…" He held out the paper. "You better to be right."

Stepping forward, Russell took the paper without argument and looked it over. It was the new warrant. He looked at Ecklie reasonably surprised.

"You're not the only one staking your job on this. Now you'd better hurry up and find him before we all end up in the trash."

"Thank you," Russell replied.

Ecklie nodded. "I will help as much as I can, just make sure I know everything I need to know. I don't want any more surprises."

Russell blew out a breath thinking about the Maggie Williams scene and their findings. "Well…"

Now Ecklie frowned. "What?"

"The knife we pulled out of Maggie Williams... Sara thinks it came from her place. She's gone home to check. It has her prints on it as well as…"

Ecklie blinked hard. "You're joking right?"

"Sadly not."

The lawman shook his head now, stepping right up to his subordinate. "_You should take her off this_ before…"

"The knife also had Grissom's prints on it," Russell finished. Ecklie had asked for the whole truth so he was getting it

Taking a step back in surprise, Ecklie stared at the supervisor, running a hand over the back of his neck on a groan. "Oh, this just get better."

"It's pretty messy but I'm confident Sara is being set up on this..."

There was a knock at the door, breaking the conversation and Greg stood in the doorway. "Russell? Finn is asking for you. She said Emily is getting a little irritated now with all the waiting."

"Where are they?" Russell asked.

"Interview room one. Finn is trying to keep her occupied with magazines, games and stories but they are growing a little old now…"

The supervisor returned his attention to his boss and Ecklie nodded towards the door. "Go and do your job but be warned, the fuse is getting shorter. And I'd suggest you make sure you tell me about _anything_ you get from now on. Including anything to do with Sara. You got that?"

"I got it," Russell agreed.

Holding out his arm, the supervisor ushered Greg away from the office and they walked down the corridor. "You definitely got a positive ID from the CCTV?" Russell asked his worker.

Greg nodded, quickening his pace, his boss really seemed to be in a hurry. "Morgan says it's definitely the guard from the airport."

Russell nibbled on his upper lip. "Good, at last with have some form of positive ID. Let's just hope we find him and he cooperates…" He stopped and so did Greg as Russell held out the warrant.

"What's that?" the younger man asked.

"The new warrant for the ranch. Take it. Get Morgan and some officers and get back down there. Search anything and anywhere you can given the light but priority is that CCTV. You got it?"

Greg took the warrant. "Got it."

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Russell headed for the interview room. As he passed by the waiting area he spotted Basderic, deep in conversation with a man Russell presumed to be his attorney.

Basderic spotted Russell and pointed to him. Marshall immediately vacated the waiting room and approached the supervisor. "Mr. Russell?"

Clearing his throat, Russell stopped, facing the man of law. "Mr. Smith?"

The attorney gave a sarcastic smile. "My clients are not very happy with your treatment."

Russell scratched his head. "Clients?" He looked over his shoulder to the interview room across the corridor. Looking back to the younger man he smiled. "Emily has seemed reasonably happy so far. She hasn't been mistreated in anyway what so ever."

"She is incapable of thinking for herself," Smith continued.

"Really?" Russell folded his arms. "I think so far, she has done just fine."

Smith turned to his male client and retrieved his briefcase from the sofa. He whispered something to Basderic and Basderic nodded. The attorney then returned his attention to the CSI. "I insist on being present for Emily's questioning." His voice was calm and professional but firm.

"She isn't under arrest," Russell argued. "But, fine. If that's what you want."

After offering a firm nod, Smith followed Russell from the waiting area, leaving Basderic to his own devices.

Basderic sat on a chair and watched through the glass as his family employee went off to do the job he was getting paid for. He entwined his fingers and stared at the floor beneath his feet for a second, pondering his next move. What was Emily going to say? He wasn't all that worried because he knew she didn't know anything. What did worry him was the estate and what he'd left for them to find. There were things he hadn't thought about until now but he hadn't expected them to get to the ranch so quickly. He was disappointed there wasn't more heat on Sara and he feared that part of his plan had already fallen flat on it's face.

Maybe now it was time for a different approach. If he couldn't leave enough for others to destroy her then he would just have to do it himself.

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Russell entered the interview room, followed by Marshall Smith. Mitch was standing guard while Finn tried her best to keep Emily engrossed in a game of cards. The young woman didn't look particularly impressed anymore.

"Take a seat," Russell urged the attorney and then he leaned into Mitch, whispering something in his ear. The lawman nodded and left the room, closing the door behind hm.

Finn looked relieved to see her boss and quickly approached him as Smith sat down by his client. "Where have you been?" Finn whispered, gritting her teeth. "Do you have any idea how hard it's been trying to keep her happy? We need damn TV's in here or something."

"Sorry," Russell apologized, fingering the stack of files Finn had already piled up for him. "I really did get here as quickly as I could."

Emily smiled at the man of law as he sat beside her. "Hi, Marshall," she said. "I think we're playing a game of hide and seek or something. Have you come to play too?"

Smith cleared his throat and gave her a weak smile back. "Not exactly," he replied. "I've just come to make sure you're alright while Mr. Russell here asks you some more questions."

The young woman pouted. "Oh…Are we not playing anymore then?"

Russell smiled and sat opposite the two. "Kind of," he cut in. "We still need to find the man I told you about but now we are down here, where it's quite and without interruptions, we can have a good proper chat about how you can help us. Okay?"

Emily yawned. "I don't know. It's really late now and way passed my bedtime and, I'm hungry."

Finn sat down next to her boss and the two exchanged a look. "Well…" Russell shuffled forward in his seat, "…I just sent the nice officer out to get you some refreshments. Burger and a milkshake. Will that be alright?"

Now Emily's eyes glistened and the smile reappeared on her lips. "Yes," she replied cheerfully. "I like milkshake."

Giving her another smile, Russell sat back. "While we are waiting for the food, Emily, why don't you answer a few questions for me?"

Emily looked to Smith and he nodded. "It's okay," he reassured. "Go ahead."

She nodded.

Russell gave her an encouraging smile and picked up the file about the car rental. "What kind of car do you have, Emily?"

Giving him a childish snigger, Emily held her hand over her mouth. "I don't drive, silly," she giggled. "I can't drive now." Her laughter faded and she sighed. "I don't really like cars anymore, not since…" She drifted off and both Russell and Finn shuffled a little uncomfortably.

Smith watched her closely.

"Joan drives me if I really need to leave the house," she continued. "But I don't do it that often. Only usually for my hospital checkup. I have my horses, that's all I need. Do you like horses, DB?"

"Um…I guess," Russell answered.

"I love them." She smiled brightly now. "My brother and my friends help me ride. It's so nice."

Russell's eyes narrowed a touch. "Tell me about your brother, Emily…"

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Nick and Sara arrived back at the lab and were immediately collared by Hodges as they went in search of Russell.

Sara rolled her eyes as Hodges poked his head out of his lab and beckoned them in.

"What is it, David?" she grumbled. "We're in a hurry."

"I can see that," he returned. "But I thought you'd like to know the results of the blood from the knife."

Sara frowned and Nick squirmed.

"Umm…Hodges…" Nick shook his head, trying to halt the lab rat from continuing. "Maybe you should tell Russell first, huh?"

Looking to both men in turn, Sara's confusion grew. "What do you mean results?" she questioned. "Isn't it obvious?"

Now Hodges looked confused. "There were two blood types on the knife. Russell pointed it out to me when he gave me the murder weapon."

Sara's mouth opened but she wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Didn't you know?" the lab rat asked.

The female CSI glared at her co-worker and Nick fidgeted nervously. "No, I didn't," she responded, grinding her teeth.

Hodges realized he might have put his foot in his mouth but continued nonetheless. "Most of the blood is from our victim but as Russell suspected there is a second donor."

Nick closed his eyes, he just knew what Hodges was going to say.

"And who is that?" Sara asked with urgency but then she got it. "Oh please don't tell me…"

The lab rat swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's Grissom's…"

Sara slowly shook her head, her breathing suddenly becoming heavy and labored. She held her hand to her head, feeling a very heavy headache coming on.

"This can't be happening," she gasped. "Why…."

"Thanks, Hodges," Nick griped, taking Sara's arm and leading her from the lab room. "Take a deep breath, Sara," he urged, leaning his colleague up against the corridor wall.

Sara bent down to her knees and held her head in her hands. "Is he already dead?" she muttered.

After looking around and noting numerous sets of curious eyes upon them for coworkers, Nick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "I don't believe that and I don't think you do either."

She took a breath and tried to compose herself.

"Like you said, he is enjoying playing with you and any little thing he can do to get at you, he will."

Looking up to him, she fought her tears away.

"If Grissom was dead already, I think we'd know about it. Basderic would be gloating."

Sara took a breath and pushed herself upright. She definitely had a headache now and squinted harshly.

Nick squeezed her shoulder again. "You going to be okay?"

"Got a headache," she admitted. "I need to get some pills."

"I have some in my locker," he offered.

She shook her head. "I have some in my car. I could use some air anyway. Meet you in a few minutes?"

"You want me to come with you?" He sounded very concerned about her now.

"No. I'll be fine."

"Okay," he said softly. "I'll be over by the interview rooms seeing what's happening."

She nodded and they went their separate ways.

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Sara found the cool breeze in the parking deck refreshing even if it did make her shiver a little. She hadn't been a fan of these parking facilities in the dark though ever since Natalie Davis had ruined her evening all those years ago. She quickened her pace, eager to get back inside.

The beep of her car alarm disabling echoed through the deck and she opened the passenger door, grabbing a tube of pills from the glove box. Slamming the door closed she sighed and took a moment. It was now over twelve hours since her husband had gone missing. The thought of what physical and mental state he must be in now made her soul cry. She knew he was a strong man but he'd never been a fly in the web of someone like Basderic before.

When she turned, she instantly jumped back on a gasp for just a few feet away, staring right at her, was Basderic. And boy did he look like the world had just ended.

Her heart strummed a million beats as their eyes bore into one another's and her hand instantly shot to her holster, her fingers coiling around the handle of her weapon. But she didn't draw; she was just giving him the message that she was prepared to if she had to.

Oh, she really wanted to.

"You really shouldn't have involved my sister in this," he whined bitterly, "Such a silly mistake."

"You're the one who involved her, not me." Sara felt her nostrils flaring and her fingers tightened on the gun at her hip.

He noticed and he took a step closer. "Do you want to shoot me?" he sneered. "Go ahead." Now he gave her a small grin. "See exactly how that helps your investigation."

Quickly looking around Sara noted the numerous cameras plotted around them and she knew someone would be watching. "I suggest you step away, Ronald. You can't fake me beating you up this time," she warned. "_Get the hell away from me_."

Entwining his fingers in front of him he nodded. "Oh, I will. When I've finished what I came here to say." He took one more step closer and Sara took a step back, ending up pushing her own body against her own car. This wasn't a position she liked very much. Maybe she could just shoot him in the leg; he could still talk that way…

"Last chance," she spat.

He smiled. "Release my sister and do it within the hour. Then keep away from her."

Sara frowned; she knew he was threatening her. "That's not my decision," she growled.

"Maybe not," he responded coolly. "But you will have to live with the consequences if she's not set free."

She scowled at him. "Are you threatening me?"

"Oh no," he gloated. "I'm not threatening _you_. What kind of a man do you think I am? _I'm promising you_."

"_You son of a bitch_," Sara spat getting exactly what he meant.

He just smirked at her and backed away. "One hour," he finished on as he turned and vanished into the darkness.

**A/N: Oh I do fear some nastiness coming on :/ Will Greg find anything? Will they get anything out of Emily? Will Basderic live up to his threat? I think Sara should have shot him, lol. What do you think?**


	17. Hear your pain

**A/N: A ha, Evil Hat is awake. He's really on the ball after the last chapter of Guilt and he's really in the mood Mwahaha. Time for lots of things to start coming together. Sadly, Basderic continues to have the upper hand and he's about to live up to a promise :/**

**Thanks for the great reviews. Please remember if you want a reply from me you must be signed in as a user. All reviews are welcome.**

**No beta so all mistakes are the hats fault.**

**Pillows may be required shortly…. **

Chapter 16

Basderic knew his little chat with Sara would more than likely fall on deaf ears. His sister would not be released within the hour. That was pretty certain. He didn't even bother reentering PD, he had a promise to keep and a woman to destroy. Oh he was going to make her suffer and the best way to do that now, was most definitely through her husband.

Even though he hated cabs, he flagged one down and jumped inside. His lack of transportation was becoming annoying. It was time to head home to get his own car as well as a few other necessary bits and pieces. He had some anger to release…

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Greg and Morgan exited their SUV right outside the main house. Greg pocketed the key for the gate which Emily had been obliging enough to give to the CSI's and he had a good, long stretch. He was feeling the strain and tiredness of the day now.

"Nice place," he said, looking around. "Even in the dark."

Morgan narrowed her eyes and had a scan around. Several officers did the same and then spread out in numerous directions, flashlights in hand, restarting where they had left off not so long ago.

The female CSI reached into the truck and pulled out her flashlight. "You go get the CCTV," she said, flicking her light on. "I'm going to have a search around out here."

Greg nodded, grabbed his kit and entered the house.

Looking around the driveway, Morgan spotted a drivable path that went off to the right and around the side of the house. The fact it was laden with the red granite heightened her curiosity and she followed it.

She stopped when she came upon a closed garage.

Flicking her light over it she bent for the handle and twisted in the hope it was unlocked. It was and she pulled the door open. The hinges struggled a touch and the squeak which shattered the silence made Morgan cringe.

She took a step back once the door was open and gawked at what sat inside. She frowned, shinning her light over it and then pulled out her cell…

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Greg entered the office and went straight for the CCTV. He placed his kit down on the floor and grabbed the mouse belonging to the small keyboard under the set of monitors. The small arrow moved across the screen and he highlighted the search box and then history.

He worked his tongue over his bottom lip in anticipation as he flicked the clock back two hours and hit enter.

_No data_ flashed up at him and he frowned. He tried again.

_No data_.

"What the…" he mumbled and tried an hour before.

_No data._

He shook his head, feeling his pulse rising. He clicked on _2pm_. _No data_. _3pm_. _No data_. He tried around _10pm_ when he knew his team were there and all he got for the effort was a blank screen.

He tied one more time and suddenly he got pictures but it wasn't much. It was just Basderic leaving with the police officers.

"God, damn it. He wiped the hard drive…." he surmised but didn't have much time to finish his thought as his cell began vibrating in his pocket.

He fished out the appliance with a sigh noting Morgan's name on the screen. "Yeah?" he grumbled.

"You need to come see this," she said keenly.

Greg stood straight and felt his heart skip a beat. "What? Have you found something?"

"Oh yeah," she gloated. "I've found something alright. Come and see for yourself. Out of the house, turn right and follow the path…"

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Basderic stared at Vegas as it flashed by him. He wasn't a fan of the main city. He preferred peace and quiet. Probably why he liked his sisters place so much. It gave him the freedom to be extra private. He checked his watch. He'd asked Marshall to call him if his sister was released and the clock was ticking. He was surprised then when his cell rang and a confused look passed over his face as he took out his phone. He was even more surprised by the caller.

"Hello?" he asked uncertain.

"Ronald, it's me," the voice came and Basderic's frown deepened.

"Tom?" Basderic questioned.

"The cops are here banging on my door, man," Tom continued in a panic. "I got a phone call from work, about this damn kidnapping. What the hell is going on? Was that you on the CCTV I saw? Did you take that CSI? Is that why you needed the SUV and that rental?"

Basderic sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. How the hell did they get to Tom? "Listen, okay?" he continued coolly. "Just relax, stay calm and tell them nothing. Do you hear me? Nothing."

"What did you do, Ronald? You said it was just a joke, a little pay back. You didn't say you were going to kidnap a guy. I saw that shit this afternoon and I had no idea that was you. What have you got me in to?"

"Listen!" Basderic snapped but then tried to calm himself, scrunching his free hand upon his left knee. "I don't know what they've got on you but it can't be much. As long as you keep your mouth shut, you will be okay. Make something up about whatever they throw at you. If you don't, you may well end up spending a long time in that filth hole I've just left. I will talk to you about this later once they let you go and I will explain everything then."

Tom sighed deeply. "I've known you a long time, Ronald, so this better be good."

Basderic clenched the phone tighter. "My attorney is already at PD, I'll send a message for him to represent you if you need him. Just don't say anything. You did nothing. You got that? Whatever they say to you about me, you deny it. Are we clear?"

"I'll try. Look, I gotta go or they're gonna kick the door in. You owe me a huge on for this."

The line went dead and Basderic slammed his phone closed.

The cab driver cleared his throat noting the look of anger on Basderic's face. "You okay?" he asked as he pulled up outside Basderic's house.

"Fine," Basderic replied bitterly, reaching into his pants pocket for his wallet. He pulled out a _$50_ bill and waved it at the driver. "If anyone asks, you didn't hear that conversation and we've never met, you got that?"

Smiling, the cabby took the note. "You got it, buddy," he replied.

On a huff, Basderic left the cab, slamming the door closed behind him.

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Sara and Nick watched through the glass of the interview room and listened to the conversation. Nick, every now and then would look to Sara, checking she was okay. She looked edgy but stable. She was displeased with certain answers and Nick ascertained these every time she uncomfortably rubbed the back of her neck.

Sara had refrained from declaring her confrontation with Basderic. What good would it do if she mentioned it?

So far, Emily had answered Russell's questions without issue. She was happier once she had eaten her burger and devoured her milkshake.

First, she told him about her brother and that he was a loving, loyal brother who had cared for her after her accident and the loss of her husband. She mentioned her displeasure at him being taken away from her although she had never been told the reasons why but she expressed her immediate happiness when he returned home just a day before.

Ronald spent a lot of time at her place. Either with her or in his workroom. He also had his own bedroom there and spent the odd weekend with her.

She knew nothing of Grissom and continued to deny she had ever seen him before.

Russell asked about her ranch and Emily described it the best way she could. About a hundred acres of land upon which there was an eight stall stable, a hay barn, a smaller barn which was made for livestock. A large storage building and a small guest house out behind the main house.

Finn wrote notes as Russell pondered on the young woman's answers and he wondered whether or not she knew as much about her home as her brother did.

"Tell me about the storage building, Emily," Russell asked. "What do you keep in there?"

"Um…" Emily hesitated, obviously thinking. "I'm not too sure actually. I haven't been in there for a long time. My husband used to keep all his fancy cars in there. He liked working on them with my brother. I don't like that place. It's creepy and there's a bit that goes down…" She gestured her hand in a swooping motion. "I don't like it…"

Russell's brow rose and he shuffled closer to the desk. "What do you mean down? Like underground?"

Emily nodded. "Kind of. I think my husband called it a pit. He had it built so he could work under his cars. It's like a big room I guess. You wouldn't want to fall down there I tell ya. Nasty…"

The supervisor exchanged a glance with his co-worker. That certainly sounded like the ideal place to hide someone and if it was enclosed, it could be exactly the place they were looking for.

"Is the pit sealed, Emily, or is it just a big hole?"

"It's sealed," she replied with a smile. "I asked Brian to cover it if he wasn't using it because I said it was dangerous. Ronald made him a mechanical door for it. He's very good at things like that. It's pretty impressive. It's like the gates of a castle opening." She chuckled. "Like a fairytale. Do you like fairytales, DB?"

Feeling his cell vibrating, Russell pulled it out, thankful at that point for the interruption and he checked the caller ID. "Sorry," he apologized. "I have to take this. I'll be back in a moment." He stood and left the room.

Sara and Nick quickly rounded the corridor to meet their boss but he held up a finger to halt their comments and took the call. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Russell, it's me," Greg said.

"Did you get it?" the supervisor immediately asked. His primary thought being the CCTV.

Greg bowed his head, stepping out of the garage. "No."

Russell's head shot up. "What do you mean _no_? Why not?"

Sara swallowed the lump in her throat as she listened, her fingers clenching into tight balls.

"Because the hard drive has been wiped. The only footage on here starts around _10.30pm_. I see Basderic leaving with the patrol car but that's it. There is nothing else on there."

Russell closed his eyes, sighing heavily through his nose. "He wiped it, didn't he?"

Sara's mouth popped open and she looked to Nick. They both looked as equally shocked.

"He must have," Greg grumbled.

"Damn it!" the supervisor snapped, stomping his right foot, his eyes shooting open. "We should have dragged his ass out of the house when we left."

Greg turned back to look inside the garage. "It's not your fault but, we might not have the CCTV but we certainly have something."

Russell looked to Sara and perked up a little. "What have you found?"

Sara couldn't take her eyes from her boss and another lump formed in her throat.

Greg smiled, flicking his flashlight over the truck. "I think we have the vehicle that was used to transport Grissom from the garage where you found the rental."

"Really?" Russell's eyes glimmered. "Are you sure?"

"Well, it's the same make, Ford Edge SUV and I checked the tire marks we got via Mandy and, they match with this vehicle."

Russell took a breath. "Finally a breakthrough. Start processing it. I'll be down with Sara shortly to help and if that's our car we need to keep looking. Grissom shouldn't be far and I have a good idea where he might be…"

Sara blinked hard, was she really hearing this?

"You got it." Greg hung up.

Russell looked to his two workers.

"Please tell me that's good news?" Sara begged.

The supervisor neither shook his head nor nodded. It was kind of in between. "The CCTV is gone, wiped, but Greg thinks they have found the SUV. It's the same tires that made the tracks in the garage and it's the same make."

Sara took a breath and managed half a smile.

"We're going down there to help. I know it's dark but we need to get searching. We need something from that car that will link it to Basderic." Russell frowned then and the two members of his team noticed the change in his demeanor.

"What are you thinking?" Nick asked.

Russell sidestepped to look through the glass. "Emily said she didn't drive and didn't have a car."

"Well maybe it's Basderic's," Nick offered.

"No it's not," Russell argued. "I already checked."

Sara thought for a minute. "Could have been her husband's. They're rich, could have had a number of vehicles."

"Maybe. Nick, get that checked out. Find out who the car belongs to."

Nick slipped his hands into his pockets. "We're going to have to hold Emily now, aren't we?"

Sara looked to him sharply.

Russell nodded. "Kidnappers vehicle found on her property. Yeah, we are. At least until we can _100%_ determine that she isn't involved."

Sara felt a nervous twang rush down her spine remembering Basderic's threat.

"Her brother isn't going to be very happy about that," Nick continued.

"Too bad," Russell answered.

Taking a breath Sara decided to come clean. "He threatened me."

Both men looked to her.

She licked her dry lips and continued. "When I went out to get the pills from my car, he appeared. He said if Emily wasn't released within the hour then I'd pay the price for it."

Russell didn't look happy. "Why didn't you say something before?"

Sara shrugged. "What good would it have done? He knew as well as I did that Emily wasn't going to be released within that time and I can't prove the threat."

"We have cameras in the deck, Sara…We could have held him." Russell's cell rang again and he worked his jaw before answering it. He still didn't look impressed at what he'd just heard. He noted the caller was Brass. "Yeah, Jim?"

"We've just picked up Tom Draper," the lawman informed the CSI. "On our way back now."

"Great," Russell replied. "I'm off back up to the estate so I'll get Finn and Nick to do the interrogation."

"No problem."

Sara folded her arms. "What was that?"

Russell pocketed his cell. "Brass is bringing in Tom Draper." He looked to his male subordinate. "I want you and Finn to question him. He's involved in this but I have no idea how much and I don't know how easy it's going to be to get him to co-operate."

Nick folded his arms. "I'll get what I can," he replied with a purpose.

Russell nodded pointing to Sara. "I'm not happy you didn't tell me about the threat." He side stepped her to check the waiting area and he sighed. "It looks like Basderic has gone so…"

"It doesn't matter," Sara stopped him, shaking her head. "It's more wasted time asking him about it. Just let it go. I doubt he's gone far, not with his sister still here." She didn't really believe that considering his threat.

The supervisor squashed his hands to his hips. "For now but as soon as I see him again, this subject will be returning."

Sara simply shrugged.

"Well…" Russell continued, "…I guess I need to go and inform Mr. Smith of the good news about his client."

Sara looked back through the glass. "What are you going to do with her? Do you think she'll be able to go in a cell?"

Pausing, Russell too looked through the glass. Emily didn't look like much of a criminal mastermind. "Good point," he muttered. "I'm sure I'll think of something…"

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Basderic had his foot flat to the floor as he sped down the road leading to his sister's ranch. He was usually a very sensible driver but on this occasion, his urgency to get to his destination was overpowering.

However, as he drew closer to the turn to the gate he eased up on the gas, spotting the flashing lights of a squad car. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the car was parked right outside the ranch gate. He continued on and didn't stop, looking through the rear view mirror at the officer who seemed to be requesting access to the estate.

Basderic swore under his breath. They had returned already? The second warrant had come through a lot quicker than he'd expected and now he had an issue. Not a massive issue, more of an inconvenience. He knew of a back way into the far end of the estate land through a broken fence. It would just mean a long walk and a lot of sneaking around.

But he'd snuck around before and he could do it again. He held no fear that once he got to Grissom, even if the searchers were near his location, they wouldn't hear anything. The shelter was way too far underground. He liked to be careful but he was confident his self-made prison was sound proof. The way he felt, he wasn't about to change his mind about his current assignment.

He drove for about another mile all around the estates fence and pulled up onto a grassy area, parking his car under a set of tress, keeping it as far from view as possible. Killing the engine and turning off the lights, he reached into the back seat and grabbed one of two bags that lay there.

Unzipping the hold all, he pulled out fresh clothing. A black pair of pants, black shirt and black boots. He changed quickly and took a flashlight from the glove box. Grabbing the second bag he grunted. That one was much heavier than the first. He exited his car, locked it and headed for the fence.

Skimming the beam from his flashlight around the area he immediately spotted the broken part of fencing and he was through it in no time.

His pace was swift as he rushed through the darkness towards his destination but he remained totally focused and alert. Constantly on the lookout for another flashlight which would no doubt be linked to a searching law enforcement officer.

He felt in his gut though that they hadn't begun searching the outer grounds yet so he felt moderately safe. Their first priority would be the CCTV and that made him smile as he imagined the look on Sara's face once she got news there was no CCTV. That image, if he could have seen it in person, would have been priceless.

It didn't take him too long to reach his destination and the darkened silhouette of the barn beckoned him not so far away. He ensured he stopped for a few moments, watching and listening, just to make sure there was no one else around. Confident there wasn't he headed for the side door to the building. Plucking a key from his pocket, he unlocked the wooden door, closing it behind him and relocking it.

The barn was huge and Basderic gloried in it's delightful wooden structure. The rustle of hay greeted him as he strolled across the creaking wooden floor boards. He inhaled, relishing in the dusty, slightly sweet smelling aroma. He looked above and to the loft, grinning at a sinister thought of hanging Grissom from it's beams while making Sara watch. Interesting but not part of his current plan.

He maneuvered through the dozens of stacked hay bales until he reached the far right hand corner of the building.

Two single hay bales sat in front of him, side by side and he looked to a small cuckoo clock which sat fixed to the wall. Another fine piece he had made. But this particular working had a different purpose than to tell the time. Reaching out, he pushed the small red button which set in the center of the dial and the floor suddenly shuddered.

The two hay bales slowly parted revealing a hole in the floor and a staircase.

He clutched his bag tightly and began his decent. Flicking a button on the stair rail as he went to close the hatch above…

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Grissom's eyes were closed, his head slumped forwards but he woke with a start when he heard a loud bang and the door literally flew open.

Basderic burst into the room and he had such a look of rage on his face it caused Grissom's heart rate to shoot from sleepy to supersonic.

The former supervisor forced his eyes to stay open and he watched his captor as he placed a large black hold all he was carrying onto his play table. He then moved towards him.

Grissom swallowed hard as he looked into his captor's eyes. They were fixed and merciless. He'd not seen such a look in this madman's eyes. Until now.

Basderic grabbed the tape on Grissom's mouth and ripped it off with little passion. "That's so she can hear your pain," he sneered.

Grissom winced and watched as his kidnapper moved back to his table, unzipped the bag and began removing items from it.

First he pulled out a video camera and a tripod.

"What's happening?" Grissom mumbled fearfully.

Ignoring the question, Basderic set the camera up onto it's stand and pointed it at the restrained CSI. He then took a black ski mask and a pair of black sunglasses from the bag.

Grissom squirmed as Basderic took his gloves from the table and slipped them onto his hands. He pulled the mask over his head and picked up the sunglasses before rounding the camera. Slowly, he approached Grissom and stopped barely a foot away, staring down at his captive. He played with his gloves, ensuring they were tightly knitted against his fingers. He really did hate getting his hands dirty.

"You can thank your wife for this," he said bitterly.

Shaking his head, Grissom swallowed yet another lump in his throat. "I don't understand…"

Without warning, Basderic's right hand shot out and firmly gripped onto Grissom's chin.

The entomologist shook with fear as his captor squeezed hard upon his bone and flesh, leaning right into him until they were almost nose to nose. "We are going to make a movie," Basderic informed him, squeezing harder still, causing Grissom to groan in pain. "Let's call it a little instructional video as to the consequences of fucking with my family."

Grissom's eyes fluttered closed as the threat came, his breathing heavy and short.

"Open your eyes," the younger man demanded and Grissom did so. "Are you scared?" Basderic asked pushing Grissom's face away and retracting his hand.

Another solid lump formed in the former CSI's throat and he nodded. Yes he was scared, terrified as to what this mad man was going to do to him. It was even more terrifying because he didn't know why and he couldn't even attempt to try and talk his captor around.

Smirking, Basderic slipped the shades on to conceal his eyes. "Good," he replied with satisfaction. "Are you ready for your close up?"

Now Grissom shook his head, his chin quivering. "Please don't," he begged.

Basderic held up a finger. "One rule," he began. "You say my name and I'll cut your toes off and make you eat them. I really don't want to waste my time editing this."

Grissom felt tears welling in his eyes as Basderic turned, lined up the camera and flicked it on.

He then walked back to the table and picked up two items before returning to his captive. Grissom watched his every movement and noticed how he now shifted to his right, leaving a path so the camera caught the action.

Basderic placed the voice changer to his lips and held up his second object. "You know what this is?" he asked, squeezing the implements trigger. The bolt of electricity zinging from the appliance sparked a white haze through the musty air.

Grissom sucked in a heavy sob eyeing the menacing black object. He knew exactly what that was.

"_Answer_ the question," Basderic ordered. "_Do you know what this is_?"

Nodding, Grissom panted for breath. "Yes," he whispered. "It's a...stun gun."

Now Basderic smiled under his mask. "Good," he praised but to Grissom's surprise Basderic didn't zap him with it instead he placed the weapon into his pocket.

"We'll get to that in a minute." He retreated back to the table and Grissom watched him but then every ounce of life seemed to evade his body as Basderic picked up the mallet again and another spike.

"Oh, God…" Grissom gasped, his heart pounding so fast he felt dizzy. He tried to move but as before, it was a futile attempt to break free. "Please….no…don't. _Not again_. I'm begging you…"

Basderic stopped in front of him once more but ignored his plea. He held his toy and offered Grissom just a few more words. "Maybe we'll have time to get to your feet," he sniggered before placing the spike in the centre of Grissom's right hand.

The former CSI's eyes bulged. "NO!" Grissom screamed as Basderic raised the mallet…

**A/N: Oh dear. I don't foresee this being good. Bad hat! Thoughts and reviews please. Have a great day :)**


	18. In the firing line

**A/N: *Warning - rating rise. This chapter is Mediocre rating "M" due to scenes of violence and torture. Please read responsibly. It's not earth shatteringly vile but it's not soft core. BE WARNED!**

**And you can blame the hat.**

**Thank you for your reviews, I will expect the next lot while I wear armor. HA! Poor Grissom. I apologize in advance but you know what I'm like. Well, you should by now. **

**No beta, all mistakes are mine.**

**I will leave it at that. Hold your breath and away we go…. **

Chapter 17

Basderic was smiling as heard the spike crack through his victims bone for a second time. It was almost like shattering the top of a hardboiled egg, just one hundred times worse.

He stepped back when Grissom cried out like he'd heard no man cry out before.

The former CSI writhed backwards and forwards in the chair, gasping over and over again. His right hand was now impaled to the chair, just like his left. Blood oozed from the new wound, just like the first one had, gushing over his hand to fall in a small trickle to the floor.

"Oh, Jesus, God," Grissom sobbed unable to say much more. He began coughing as the pain simply became too much and he struggled to breathe. His face became redder and redder by the second and Basderic could see his struggle. He really didn't want him choking to death. That would spoil the fun.

Stepping away, Basderic headed for the sink, returning a few seconds later with a bowl full of water. However, it wasn't for Grissom to drink. He threw the liquid over the flailing entomologist and Grissom sat up with the start at the ice cold soaking.

"There…" Basderic sniggered into his appliance, "…that should freshen you up a bit."

Grissom sucked in half a dozen well needed heavy breaths, feeling the cool water run down his face to mingle with his already drenched in sweat clothing. "_Why are you doing this_?" he cried.

"Oh, I'm not finished yet. I'm only just getting started…" Basderic pulled the stun gun from his pocket now realizing the addition of the water should make this a little extra painful.

With his eyes widening, Grissom pushed his head squarely back against the chair in horror. "Please…" he begged, shaking his head, his chin quivering uncontrollably.

Stepping forward, Basderic reached for Grissom's shirt and the captive could only watch as his clothing was torn open.

"It works better on the skin," Basderic cooed and without further warning, jabbed Grissom in the chest firing the appliance.

Grissom's body thrashed over and over and he just about managed to scream before the lightening pain stunned him completely. His teeth gritted so hard, he thought they might shatter.

Basderic gave him about five seconds worth of shock before pulling back.

The entomologist's body instantly slumped forwards and Grissom gasped for breath again, finding it very hard to move or locate any form of energy to push himself back up.

Basderic gave him another shot, this time in the right arm and again, Grissom's head shot up, his body shaking continuously, his eyes rolling in ongoing circles until he slammed them closed to fight the burning gushing through his body. His impaled hands clenched around the chair, causing his wounds to spurt even more blood. He just couldn't help it.

Standing back again, Basderic watched as Grissom uncontrollably sobbed and a small smile curled at the right side of his mouth.

The former CSI's head drooped once more and he shuddered violently as if he were spasming and then all of a sudden, he became still.

Under his mask, Basderic's right brow inclined in curiosity and he stepped close to his victim, grabbing the older man's hair and lifting his head up.

Grissom had passed out.

Sniggering, Basderic dropped Grissom's head, placing the voice changer back to his lips. "Oh it's by no means going to be that easy," he said, stepping away towards the sink to return a few moments later with another bowl of water.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell and Sara arrived back at the ranch and were quick to depart their vehicle outside the house once they'd been let in the gate.

Looking around, Russell spotted an officer and the man pointed around the side of the house. "Your guys are around there," he said.

"Thanks," Russell replied with a nod. "Can you get a few guys together, we're going to be checking out an out building shortly."

The officer nodded. "You got it," he replied, back peddling in order to retrieve some of his colleagues.

Sara followed Russell as he headed in the direction they'd been given and they were quick to find the garage. Greg and Morgan were inside, already processing.

"Hey, guys," Russell announced his arrival and his two CSI's turned from the SUV to see their boss.

Greg stepped away from the driver's door and approached his supervisor.

"You got anything?" Russell asked, peering over the top of his glasses.

Sara stepped around the two men and had a good look at the vehicle. It was the right car, she knew it.

"Numerous hair samples so far," Greg replied. "And although I don't want to jump the gun until we have processed them at the lab, I'd say one is Grissom's color. Found those in the trunk."

Russell smiled as Sara gave them her undivided attention. "Good," he said. "He could have been stashed back there. Anything else?"

Greg straightened the camera strap on his shoulder. "Lots of prints. Got three sets so far."

"Get them linked straight over to Mandy," Russell advised. "I want to know who was in this car and I want to know yesterday. We can send more through if we get them."

Nodding, Greg pulled out his phone and moved back to his stash of evidence to send the prints over.

"How's it going?" Morgan asked, looking over her shoulder as she printed the outside of the passenger door handle.

Russell joined her as did Sara. "Better," Sara said.

Morgan smiled. "I know waiting is hard…" she straightened up, "…but we usually get there."

Sara tried to smile. "Yeah but we don't know how much time Gil has left…"

"Knowing who this truck belongs to might help," Russell added.

Morgan chucked and reached for an evidence bag from the front seat. "Already know," she declared. "License was in the glove box."

Sara's eyes flickered as Russell took the bag from Morgan and looked over the LV driving license. "Joan Collier…"

"Emily's carer is called Joan," Sara remembered. "It must be her SUV."

Russell's right eye twitched. "I think we need to have a chat with her."

Sara nodded.

"But it will have to wait until we find out where she is," the supervisor finished. "For now…" He looked to Sara, "…let's go check out that storage building."

"You think he could be in there?" Sara asked on a hope.

Handing the evidence bag back to Morgan, Russell pulled off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. "Only one way to find out…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell, along with his three CSI's and four officers hovered outside the storage building Emily had mentioned. It was reasonably large, roughly the size of ten double car garages put together and about twice as high. The supervisor scratched his head as he walked from side to side checking out the building with his flashlight.

"We ready?" he asked the group and everyone nodded.

They all approached a large double door with a padlock on it and Russell nodded to one of the officers who was carrying a crow bar. He was swift and in a few seconds and a good amount of muscle, he had snapped the padlock off.

The officers flanked the door and Sara drew her weapon from her holster. She wasn't taking any chances. Russell noticed, looking over his shoulder to her but he didn't say anything.

"After three," Russell whispered to the cops and they all nodded, guns drawn and ready.

"One…two…three…"

The lead cop pushed the door open and the officers scurried in, the CSI's very close behind, flashlights shining in all directions.

As Russell entered the building he watched the beams of light flicker around, it was very dark in there. He fumbled around on the wall and to his relief found a cord on which he pulled. Suddenly the entire building illuminated, the lights above jumping into action. The sound of an electrical surge crackled around them.

Everyone stopped when the light hit and hurriedly looked around. Sara stepped up by her boss and did the same, her eyes scanning everywhere but there were no immediate signs of anyone else in there.

In fact, there weren't any signs of anything. The building was completely empty apart from a few car parts spread here and there over the large floor to the building.

"Looks clear, Russell," one of the cops shouted.

"Yeah, I can see that," he muttered, his eyes narrowing, trying to seek out the pit. He pointed to the far right. "There…" he advised. "That metal door in the floor…"

Sara's heart pounded as Russell set off towards it and she followed along with the other CSI's.

Everyone stopped by the metallic doors set into the floor below them, spreading out around them.

"This is what Emily was talking about," Russell said, looking around.

Greg bent over the entrance and tugged on one of the handles which lay in the middle of each door. He grunted as he pulled but failed miserably to open the door.

"I don't think you're going to open it like that," Russell advised continuing to look around. He smiled when he spotted a small box on the wall and Sara watched him as he walked towards it. In the center of the box was a red button and Russell pushed it…

Suddenly, there was a load creak and the door shuddered before the mechanism kicked in and just as Emily had described, the door opened upwards…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

After throwing more water on Grissom to wake him, Basderic gave him another round of shock treatment. Again and again, he sent thousands of volts of electricity shooting through the helpless man's body. Slapping him every now and then to keep him awake.

Grissom was now crying. Tears literally flooded down his cheeks as he begged, pleaded with Basderic to stop. "_God_, Pleeeeeeaaaaaaasssseeeeeeeeeee..." he cried as the maniac gave him another zap and his body thrashed violently again. Drool ushered from Grissom's mouth, dribbling down his chin, his body unable to control his functions anymore.

"Please…please…stooooppppppp…"

His hands were a total utter disaster now and both were bleeding badly. Every time he convulsed it would pull on his hands and the pain just got worse and worse.

Basderic took a breath and finally lowered his weapon. That was enough. Even if for the fact he was sweating his ass off in that mask and he needed to take it off.

Grissom's tears continued and so did his sobs as Basderic stepped right up to him, slipped his hand under his chin and raised the former CSI's head so his eyes could look at him.

"Want some more?"

"No," Grissom just about managed to gargle, more spit coming from his mouth. "No more…"

"Say please," Basderic toyed.

"_Please_," Grissom pleaded.

Basderic released Grissom's chin and patted him on the head before stepping away. He slowly approached the camera and stared right down into the lens. He placed the voice changer to his lips. "Time really is running out," he gloated before leaning forward and flicking off the appliance.

He removed his sunglasses and ripped the mask from his face with a content sigh. That was so satisfying and he just couldn't wait to get the footage delivered to Sara…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The pit was open and everyone looked inside. It was very dark down there and a small metal ladder hung off to the left.

"You see a light?" Sara asked.

Everyone beamed their flash lights inside and the conclusive answer seemed to be no.

"Possibly doesn't work anymore or has burned out," Greg offered.

"Maybe," Russell answered, nodding to the officers. "Go check it out."

Sara raised her gun again and went to move but Russell grabbed her arm. "You stay here until it's been cleared."

She frowned at her boss. "He could be down there," she snapped.

"All the more reason for you to stay here right now," he argued. "There could also be someone else down there and I don't want you going in there all gung ho. Right now _I'm_ responsible for _you_, remember that."

Sara pouted, holstering her gun. She firmly crossed her arms over her chest not at all happy.

"Let's go," the lead officer said to his colleagues and they covered him as he descended the ladder. The other officers followed and all disappeared into the pit. Greg, Morgan and Russell continued to shine their flashlights into the hole in order to aid with light as much as they could.

Everything became eerily silent as they waited.

Sara nervously chewed down on her thumb nail as she waited for news, her right foot tap, tap, tapping upon the concrete beneath her feet.

Eventually the officers reappeared below and began climbing back up. The lead guy swiped his hands over his pants to alleviate some of the dust and all looked at him.

He shook his head. "Nothing down there apart from cobwebs a few rats and an old car engine. Sorry guys, he's not here."

Sara's heart shattered, again. Another dead end, another waste of time. She sucked in a sob, the queasy feeling washing over again.

Russell sighed and took her arm, leading her from the building and back into the cool night air.

"Take some deep breaths," he advised as she placed her hands on her knees and attempted to push away the disappointment.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

She looked up at him. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Because I really thought we were on to something there and…"

She straightened up shaking her head. "It isn't your fault. We go on what we can right?"

He could sense the disappointment in her voice and he did feel bad.

"I know he's here, Russell. I can feel him…"

A lump grew in Russell's throat and he swallowed. He knew what it was like to have a loved one in peril and he believed what she was saying. "I believe that too," he agreed. "So let's keep looking, shall we?"

Biting down on her tongue, Sara nodded, stepping back and looking to her left. She spotted the outline of the barn in the distance and pointed. "How about we start over there. Another big building, could have lots of hiding places."

Russell looked where she was pointing and nodded. "Okay. I'll send Morgan and Greg back to the car. Me and you can check that out. Deal?"

Sara nodded. "Deal."

Greg exited the storage building with his colleague and the officers. "I got the results from the prints," he said.

Russell inclined an eyebrow and awaited the information. "One is Joan Collier, not surprising as we have already concluded the car belongs to her. The second belongs to Emily, also not much of a shock considering Joan drives her around."

"And the third?" Sara asked hoping the news was going to be a bit more helpful.

Greg smiled. "The third is much more interesting and belongs to our security guy, Tom Draper."

Russell's mouth popped open. "Ahhh…" He glanced to Sara. "Now that is interesting. Where were his prints?"

Greg's smile grew. "On the wheel. He must have been driving."

"Why would he be driving that car?" Russell questioned.

"Wait…wait…wait…" Sara held a hand to her head, thinking. "Tom Draper was at work when Gil was kidnapped. He couldn't have taken him from that garage."

Russell worked his jaw. "True," he agreed. "I guess we will just have to ask him." He looked to his male CSI. "Greg, call Nick. Tell him what we know and make it very clear we need everything we can get from Mr. Draper. He is now very much in the firing line."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Nick took the call from Greg and reentered the interview room. Finn sat opposite Tom Draper and Brass stood behind them, leaning against the wall. Marshall Smith had received the call from Basderic and sat beside Tom. That made Tom feel a lot better but it irritated the CSI's.

Picking up a pencil, Nick tapped it onto the desk. "Okay…" he began, "…let's go over all this again."

Tom rolled his eyes. "What? I don't know anything, okay? I'm a law enforcement officer. I don't do shit like that." He looked over to Brass. "Tell them, Jim."

Brass shrugged. "Right now, buddy, I'm not defending anyone."

Tom sighed and slumped back in his seat.

Nick held up the CCTV disk. "This shows you messing with the camera in the parking deck stairwell. Again, why did you do that?"

"Look, I already told you. I walked passed it and I thought it was off-center, that's all. I actually thought I'd straightened it out, not made it worse." He folded his arms. "No one in the office seemed to have a problem with it."

"That's probably because it's not in a major location," Finn cut in. "One of those camera's no one pays attention to until you really have to."

Tom shrugged. "I didn't do it on purpose. I thought I was making it right."

"You see now, Tom…" Nick leaned forwards, dropping the disc onto the desk, "…I think you did do it on purpose. Did Ronald pay you to do that so he could gain access to the deck without being seen?"

Marshall interrupted. "I don't think that's the kind of question my client will be answering. Unless, you want to read him his rights?"

Nick held up his hands and sat back.

Finn held up Grissom's picture. "_You know_ we're looking for him. He has been abducted, tortured and we don't know how much time he has left. He is the husband of a _fellow_ CSI, a _fellow law enforcement officer_…"

Tom swallowed hard. "I've told you I don't know anything about it. All I know is what you guys found on the CCTV at the airport."

Nick worked his tongue into the side of his left cheek. He knew this guy was lying. "Okay, tell me again about you and Ronald. How you know each other and for how long…"

"Ronald and I have been friends since high school. We always hung around together. I guess, you could call us the _odd_ kids. We didn't really have any other friends apart from each other."

"Awww, that's nice," Brass mocked.

Tom glared at him. "You wouldn't know what it's like to be picked on most days of your life. To consume yourself in the few things you could find to hand. My parents sucked and so did Ronald and Emily's. We didn't have the luxury of expensive stuff, we made our own." Tom sounded bitter and for the first time a little angry. "But that's life and we grew up. Emily was fortunate enough to find herself a good man and set herself up for life."

Brass stepped closer. "I think you're all pretty set up now her husband is out of the picture and she doesn't have much control over her finances."

"Hey!" Tom shouted, pointing a finger of frustration. "Don't you dare _ever_ say that. Emily is my friend and I wouldn't use her like that!"

Marshall grabbed his clients arm. "Calm down," he advised. The lawyer looked to the captain. "Can we keep the subject matter relevant to this investigation please? If your concern is to find this former CSI, aren't you going a little off track?"

Brass shook his head but backed off.

Finn cleared her throat and tried to calm things down. "How do you feel about the fact your so called friend was arrested for murder and attempted murder, Tom?" she asked.

"Ronald was cleared of all that," he answered. "He was innocent."

She gave him a fake smile. "Did he ever tell you what happened?"

Tom shook his head. "No. Not entirely but I trust him. I believe whatever he told me."

"Did you help kidnap Gil Grissom, Tom?" Nick just blurted out.

"Mr. Stokes…" Marshall warned.

Tom grabbed his defenses arm. "It's fine." He looked Nick dead in the eye. "I did not kidnap your CSI."

Nick smirked. "Okay, do you know who did?"

Now Tom folded his arms and smiled but he didn't answer. "You prove that I know something."

Nick's smirk faltered a touch. "Okay, let's play that game. I have one more question for you," he continued. "How do you know Joan Collier?"

Tom blinked hard. "What?"

Nick sensed worry in his voice "I think you heard me."

"Um…why?" Tom hesitated.

"Because I'm asking you and because…" Nick pulled out his cell and placed it on the desk, "…I just got a call to say your prints were found in our suspect vehicle. The vehicle which probably abducted Gil Grissom, the same vehicle which belongs to Joan Collier. Now, can you explain to me why your prints are on the wheel?"

Tom ran a hand through his hair. "Joan is my girlfriend, okay? I drive her SUV sometimes. There is no crime in that. Check my paperwork, I have insurance."

Nick and Finn exchanged a glance. "What?" Nick sounded puzzled, not quite believing what he'd just heard. It didn't help them.

"Now, I think _you_ heard _me_," Tom retorted. "She is my girlfriend and I have driven her car in the past. So there you go, the answer to your question. Are we done now?"

Nick wasn't sure what to say.

"How long have you been dating?" Finn asked.

"Nearly two years," Tom replied. "Not long after she started working for Emily. I was at the house a lot, we got talking and things went from there. Again, there's no crime in that."

Marshall grabbed his briefcase from the floor and stood. "I think we're about done here ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "Now unless you wish to arrest my client then we are leaving. Anyone have a problem with that?"

Nick looked over his shoulder to Brass and the captain gruffly shrugged. They didn't have much to hold him on. He moved a camera and at that point they couldn't prove he was lying about his reason.

"We will need to speak with Joan to confirm your relationship," Finn added.

Tom stood. "You do that."

Brass perked up, moving towards the desk, blocking any exit they may have. "You will be held until that is clarified," he declared.

Looking mortified, Tom shot his attention to Marshall and the attorney did not look impressed.

Nick's smirked returned. Brass was exactly right and the CSI stood. "Your prints were found in our suspect vehicle and until a time arises where we can clarify your statement with your so called girlfriend, then we have a nice cozy cell waiting to keep you warm."

Marshall worked his jaw and placed a hand on his clients arm. He couldn't fight this one. "I'll work on getting you out, just hang tight."

Tom looked stunned as Brass reached for his arm and tugged, pulling him towards the door.

**A/N: Hmmm, they seem to get somewhere and then blam, right back to nothing. Thoughts? Thank for reading! :D**


	19. So close yet so far away

**A/N: A hello from me and a hello from Evil Hat :) I hope we have all stopped reeling from the last chapter :/ Eeeep. It was a bit heavy I admit but hey, that's just me. This one has calmed down a touch. **

**Thanks for all your reviews guys, they do make me chuckle sometimes and I love them all. Please, please, please keep your comments coming.**

**So, let's see if the CSI's can actually catch a break and get anywhere near poor old Grissom. *Coughs*. So near but yet so far…lol.**

**Not beta, all mistakes are fault of Hat. Have fuuuuuuuuuunnn…. :D **

Chapter 18

Basderic wiped his face on the towel he had retrieved from his bag and then pulled out a bottle of still water. He wasn't drinking that piped shit. He pulled the cap and glugged heavily from the plastic container while from the corner of his eye, watched his victim.

He knew Grissom was still conscious even if just barely, the occasional grunt and flinch gave him clarification of that.

After finishing off all the water, he dropped the empty bottle back into his bag and tugged his gloves from his hands.

Slowly, he approached Grissom, stopping right in front of him, watching his chest rise and fall in fast spurts. "Are you still with me?" he sniggered.

Grissom didn't move and his head remained bowed. Basderic slipped a hand under the entomologists chin and lifted. Grissom's eyes instantly rolled back and the former CSI seemed to find no grasp on reality.

Basderic glanced over the older man's bloody, battered, perspiring face and almost felt sorry for him. Almost. "Guess you just picked the wrong woman to be married to," he informed his captive.

Grissom's lips trembled but no words came and his eyes drifted closed again.

The moment was cut short though when Basderic's cell rang and he retreated back to his bag to collect it. He saw his attorney's name on the screen and quickly answered.

"Did they let her go?" Basderic asked before Marshall could even get a word in.

There was a pause as the older man cleared his throat at the other end of the line. "No, Ronald, they didn't and they are also holding Mr. Draper now."

Basderic felt his nostrils flaring. "You what?" he shouted.

"Calm down, Ronald," Marshall advised. "You getting upset will not help or change anything."

"Why the hell are they holding them?" Oh he wanted answers and he wanted them now. He glared at Grissom and considered what else he could do to him now that he was pissed off again.

"Apparently the SUV used to kidnap Gil Grissom has been found on the ranch. Therefore it is Emily's property and she is being held until she can be cleared of any wrong doing."

"Shit…" Basderic mumbled.

"And…" Marshall continued, "…your friend's finger prints have been found in said vehicle. So until his story that he is the boyfriend of the car owner can be clarified and that he drove the car with consent can be proven, he is also currently being held for further questioning."

"And what the hell are you doing about it?" Basderic spat.

"Like I said, Ronald. Calm down. This is minimal. Nothing here bares any threat to you or helps with their accusations against you and nothing can be proven. They are just plucking at strings. Or is there something you aren't telling me?"

There was another pause, this time from Basderic.

Marshall continued. "I am however not so sure about your friend and what level you wish to go to defend his innocence. I would consider you think about that one."

Basderic suspected his attorney knew much more than he was letting on and was giving him a hint. He and his sister would always come top priority where Marshall Smith was concerned. After all, they paid him and he would always do as he was asked, believe what he was told and defend to the hilt. His paycheck depended on it and it was a good paycheck.

Tom's story could be clarified if they found Joan but Basderic was worried that she would probably cave under the pressure and tell them a little bit more than just her boyfriend used her vehicle. He didn't expect them to link her to this so quickly but what exactly had they found out? And what was she going to say once they found her? One things for sure, he should have moved the damn SUV, burned it even.

He had to find her before they did. "I have to go," he grumbled. "You get them to call me if they release my sister, or Tom, you got that?"

"Sure," Marshall sighed.

Basderic threw the phone down and ran a heavy hand over his face. Things were getting messed up. He didn't like that. He had to fix it.

Grabbing his flashlight and slipping the disc from the camera into his inner jacket pocket, he left Grissom where he was and headed for the exit. Stepping through the doorway he was about to pull the large metal door closed when his eyes fell upon his six CCTV monitors that surrounded the barn's exterior and interior. This was his private little set up and he was looking at the only recording equipment used for the tiny cameras he'd set up.

He swallowed when he spotted two lights darting around and then as they drew closer, he recognized her. She was here.

Staring at the long corridor before him he knew he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Not if they had just found the barn. He raised his head, looking up to the ceiling. They would be just about above him right now even if some thirty feet up. His nose curled at the prospect of being trapped but he simply couldn't risk being seen. He had problems to sort out but he would just have to wait until they moved on with their search.

They wouldn't find the shelter though. He was confident of that. Well about ninety five percent confident. If they knew he'd entered the building, maybe but they didn't. He would be highly disappointed if this ended now.

Cursing under his breath he back tracked into the holding room, dropping his flashlight back onto the table before returning back to his captive. "Well, I guess it's just you and me for a while then…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell and Sara stood staring at the barn, a couple of officers milling around behind them. Russell had decided it best to be accompanied, just in case they did find something.

The crickets chirped around them and a foggy haze had now descended upon the grounds.

Sara looked at her watch. _3.30am_. She yawned, unable to help it and longed for a nice warm bed, her husband, safe and sound beside her and a wish filtered through her brain that none of this had ever happened.

It was seldom her wishes came true these days though.

Stepping closer, Sara followed her boss as he shined his light over a large set of double doors. She concluded it was the main entrance to the barn. There was a very large, thick chain coiled between the handles on the door and a big padlock at it's center.

"I don't think this locks going to be as easy to break as the other one," Russell said.

"Maybe there is another way in?" Sara suggested. "Might be easier."

Russell pointed to his left. "Let's try around the side." He continued to flick his flashlight around as they moved, mainly on the ground. "Too bad there isn't better light," he grumbled. "Be interesting to see if there are any tracks leading from the house anywhere…"

Sara shrugged. "There's a lot of ground around here to be looking for tire tracks, plus, people are allowed to drive their own vehicles on their own property. Even if we found some we could be following another pointless cause."

"Good point," Russell agreed.

They found the side door.

"This looks more promising," Sara said, reaching for the handle. She tried it but it was locked. She frowned. "Why would you lock a barn?"

Scratching the back of his head, Russell checked out the door, giving it a solid push. "Why would you lock an empty storage building?" he added. "Seems everything around here is pretty security tight." He looked to his CSI. "Feeling strong?" he asked, nodding at the door.

Sara got the message and as he stepped to the side, she took a step back. As frustrated as she was, she welcomed the challenge. Taking a deep breath, she raised her right foot and planted it squarely in the center of the door.

The door easily gave way, the single lock snapped and the wooden entrance swung open.

"Nice job," Russell raised.

Straightening out her jacket, Sara gave a content, sigh. "Thanks."

He smiled and entered the building.

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Basderic looked Grissom over again. As much as he could have pummeled him some more, he did actually fear that could finish the former CSI off. Right now, he didn't want that. He wanted him alive. Sara hadn't suffered enough yet and even after she got to see the footage of her husband's beating, there was still something else he knew would destroy her even more than that. And he just had to try and make that happen.

He hovered over the crippled entomologist. "Hey…" he whispered.

No response.

Extending his hand, Basderic lightly slapped Grissom on the better side of his face.

Grissom groaned but that was it.

Rolling his eyes, Basderic sighed and shifted away into the darkness to retrieve something. He returned a few moments later with a metal box in his hand. He grabbed his chair and placed it very close to Grissom, close enough that when he sat their knees were almost touching.

He opened the box and stared down into the first aid kit. He retrieved a vile, unscrewed the lid and quickly held the small bottle under Grissom's nose.

In an instant, Grissom's head shot up at the pungent aroma and the smelling salts immediately struck his senses. He gasped, his head lolling from side to side as if he were drunk. His blood shot eyes watered and a single cough erupted from his dry, sore throat.

"There…" Basderic smiled, replacing the cap on the bottle. "That got your attention."

Grissom inhaled a long sniff through his nose and tried to gather some form of self-control. Everything hurt. He'd never been in such pain. His hands felt like they had been dipped into a bath of molten lava. His face felt like it had been crushed in a vice. His chest felt like it had been set on fire.

He managed to look down to see the damage Basderic had caused with his shock treatment. The fine layer of hair that once lay upon his chest was now gone, singed into blackness, his skin burnt and blistered. Nothing about him was a pretty sight, he was in all essence at that point, a shell of a human being.

"As I can't go anywhere right now," Basderic continued. "Maybe we can finish our little chat, huh?"

Grissom managed to keep his eyes on his attacker, even if his vision was slightly hazy.

"However…" The younger man looked Grissom over again, "…I am slightly concerned about your hands. Not quite sure if I want you bleeding to death on me just yet."

Taking a deep breath, Grissom's eyes downcast to wander over his hands again.

Clapping his own hands together, Basderic smiled. "I can stop the bleeding, if you want me to."

Grissom's eyes shot back to his kidnapper's. Now he wanted to help him? He felt suspicious about Basderic's offer and his nerves continued to tingle. This could easily be a trick but did he have a choice?

"Do you want me to stop the bleeding?" Basderic asked, seemingly giving Grissom the option.

Grissom slowly nodded, grimacing as he did. Any movement hurt.

"Say please," Basderic taunted.

"Please," the entomologist whispered.

On a snort, Basderic pushed himself to his feet, crossed the room and vanished through the entrance door. Grissom watched and waited for his captor to return. A mixture of fear and hope both running through his mind at once. Basderic obviously wanted to keep him alive. That, was a plus but how much more would he have to endure for the privilege?

It wasn't long before Basderic returned and he sat back in the chair opposite his puppet. He held up a tube and Grissom looked over it.

Superglue.

"Great stuff this," Basderic praised the sticky substance as he unscrewed the cap. I buy so much of it for my hobbies I think I must keep the company in business.

Grissom wasn't overly enthusiastic about the thought of superglue being stuck on his wounds but ultimately, he was already impaled to the chair so it wasn't as if sticking glue around the spikes would make all that much difference. The end result, if he ever got out of there would make the removal of the metal a lot more difficult though.

It scared him to think how much damage had actually been caused to his hands. Broken bones, definitely, tissue damage, more than likely, torn tendons, possibly. How was he going to survive without his hands? If the damage was as great as he feared, he wouldn't be able to do anything, anything at all.

But for now, stopping the bleeding was top priority so he would just have to sit there and take it. It wasn't actually unknown for glue to be used in the past to treat wounds, especially during the war although typically not this kind of glue.

Leaning in closer Basderic held up the tube. "This might sting a little…."

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The two CSI's entered the barn and Sara was taking no chances, she drew her weapon. The officers continued to search the exterior at Russell's request. He would holler if he needed them.

"See if you can find a light," Russell requested and he and Sara split up in search of a switch.

Sara floated her flashlight around the wooden walls, maneuvering around numerous bales of hay. "Well _this_ building is certainly used," she said. "We've got hay, pitchforks, feed buckets…" She moved her flashlight around some more as Russell looked across the opposite side of the building, "…I'd guess they bring the horses here."

"Maybe," Russell called over. "You found a light yet?"

She continued her search and came across the main set of double doors. Holding up her flashlight she passed it over the entire area and then on the very left side of the door, she saw a lever.

Chinking her head in curiosity she approached the handle, grabbed it and pushed it downwards. There was a sudden pop and then an electrical surge. The barn suddenly illuminated and Sara lowered her flashlight with a smile.

"Found it!" she called.

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Grissom groaned as Basderic sat back down and slipped the now half empty tube of glue under his chair. The man was right, it stung like hell but it had done the trick and the bleeding had stilled.

"Now say thank you," Basderic requested, keeping a straight face.

Biting down on his tongue at what he really wanted to say, Grissom whispered, "Thank you." He actually didn't mean it to come out in a whisper but his voice was evading him. His throat was so dry and he felt totally dehydrated again. His sweat and tears had no doubt aided in his condition. He might not bleed to death but if he wasn't found soon, lack of liquid could seriously aid in his demise. Dare he ask for more water?

He swallowed the dry lump in his throat and braved the question. "Could I have some more water?" he asked quietly, his voice quivering with every word that came from his mouth. "Please…"

Basderic stared at him blankly. "And what do I get in return?"

Another lump slowly grew in the former CSI's throat. "I…" he hesitated, his ability to think very lacking, "…I don't know," he just about sobbed.

Smirking, Basderic pushed himself up, loving every second of his power. He paused though, looking up when the lights flickered and he heard an electrical surge come from up above.

"Ah…it appears your wife has found the lights." His eyes shot back to Grissom and he gave him a coy smirk.

Grissom's eyes instantly shot upwards and his heart beat just that little bit faster.

"Pity for you that the building above is about as far as she is going to get right now."

If Grissom only knew exactly where he was in comparison to her, he would have considered shouting for help. He shot his glance back to his captor and Basderic's smirk broadened.

"I know what you're thinking," he began, picking up the cup he had used before. "Will she hear me? Well…" He tapped the side of the cup, "…why don't shout out and see? See exactly how far a cry for help will get you?"

Swallowing hard, Grissom shook his head. If Basderic was allowing him to holler than there wasn't any hope he would be heard and he would probably be punished for his effort. But if Sara and his team were back again, they knew something…they were getting closer to him. Surely they must find him…"

"Pity," Basderic retorted. He continued talking as he moved to the sink in the back. "It's a shame they turned on the upstairs lights you know…" He returned with a cup of water. "Doing that disabled the mechanism to open the hatch to this place." He took a deep breath of satisfaction. "Just a little fail safe I added to keep my little hideaway extra private. Now only I can open the door and that has to be from down here. Doesn't that make you feel…safe?"

Grissom's hope fizzled away again. They were so close yet so far away.

Basderic held up the cup. "Open…"

Grissom opened his mouth, accepting the water just like he had before. Again, it wasn't enough but he made do.

"So," Basderic sat back down. "Let's continue. You asked me why I was doing this, correct?"

Managing a nod, Grissom sat silently. Remembering the punch in the face he got last time he said the wrong thing. Was he finally going to get answers?

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Sara met her boss in the middle of the barn, holstering her weapon and they both had a good look around.

"You can tell Emily loves her horses," he deduced with the amount of straw and food bags lying around.

"Hmmm…" Sara replied, stepping towards the ladder for the loft. She looked up, shinning her flashlight above.

"Wanna go take a look?" he asked.

With a nod, Sara took a breath, grabbed the first rung she could reach above her head and began hauling herself up the almost twenty foot ladder.

Russell watched on, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on his CSI until she reached the top and disappeared from his eye line.

"Anything?" he shouted.

There was silence for a while and then finally Sara popped her head over the floor above. "Nothing," she responded on a sigh. "Nothing at all…" She began the climb back down the ladder just as Russell's cell rang.

"Yes, Nick?"

"I've finished with our security guy for now," the younger CSI informed his boss.

Stepping away from the ladder, Russell switched his cell into the other hand. "You get answers?"

Nick sighed. "Not exactly," he griped. "Tom is denying everything. He's saying we can't prove he moved the camera to put it off course. He claims he did it to straighten it up."

"Yeah, sure he did," Russell moaned. "But you're right, we can't prove otherwise, not without another link to the kidnapping." He kicked a piece of straw away that lay next to his foot. "And what about the prints, how did he explain those?"

Sara reached the bottom of the ladder hearing Russell's call. She waited for him to finish.

"Apparently Joan Collier is his girlfriend. Well, that's what he says. He said he has driven her car before and that is why his prints are in there and on the wheel."

Russell squeezed his phone a little tighter, they just weren't getting anywhere. "Do you believe him?"

"I don't know. I think he's lying about something though," Nick sighed. "Were holding him until his story can be confirmed."

"Good." Russell thought for a moment, looking to Sara. "We need to find Joan Collier. She seems to be the missing link in all this. Her car, her residence…Maybe we've been looking at the wrong woman."

"You mean not Emily but Joan?" Nick suggested.

"Possibly," the supervisor replied. "Maybe she was the one who took out the rental."

Sara slipped her hands into her jacket pockets felling chilly.

"Get out there and find Joan Collier. See if you can get any answers out of Tom or Emily as to where she might be and get Brass on it," Russell instructed. "We need to find her and we need to find her now."

"You go it," Nick replied.

Russell worked the tight muscles in his neck. "I'm going to get some more people down here and get our guys back to the lab so we can all get together about where we're at. I'm sorry to say I don't think we are going to find anything without some light or without more info."

"Okay," Nick replied, sounding demoralized. "I'll see you when you get back."

The senior CSI pocketed his cell and stared at his subordinate. Sara didn't look very happy.

"Are we giving up already?" she questioned.

"Sara…" Russell held out his hand and took her arm. "There are acres and acres of land out here we simply can't search without daylight. We have every man we can looking through the buildings we know about. The problem is I'm pretty sure Grissom is somewhere we don't know about and we need to find that information that will lead us to him."

She shrugged her shoulders. "And how do you propose we do that? The people we have in custody don't seem to be particularly helpful do they?"

"We still have the audio, Archie might come up with something from that," Russell continued. "And I have a feeling Joan Collier may shed quite a lot of light on this situation once we find her. I don't think Basderic's plan is as air tight as he wanted it to be."

Sara's eyes suddenly widened at something he'd said as if the penny had just dropped. "Oh God, why didn't we think of…"

"What?" Russell questioned, cutting in.

"Plans!" Sara suddenly shouted. She held her arms wide. "Plans for the estate."

Russell frowned. "You mean the blue prints?"

Sara nodded. "Yeah. Maybe it will show some hidden places we don't know about. Most blueprints will show everything that was built upon the grounds, including hidden rooms."

Russell looked up to the ceiling and blinked hard, bells ringing in his ears. Such a stupid thing to miss. "Why didn't we do that before?" he moaned.

Sara huffed. "We've had lots to think about and honestly, I've only just thought of it." She felt like an idiot actually just like he did. Such a simple thing that could be helping them and they hadn't even thought about it. No one had.

He nodded towards the door. "Come on, let's go. Hopefully we can get both the plans and Joan Collier by sunrise…"

**A/N: Ooohh… Have they found a break? Is Joan involved? Who exactly is involved? Poor Grissom, stuck with Basderic, lol. I should have him do a song and dance. Pahahaha. Thoughts please xxx**


	20. This doesn't make sense

**A/N: Oh evil hat is working overtime bringing the story together now. Things are about to start moving to the pinnacle point. You may blame him at will, lol. **

**Thanks for the reviews. Please remember if you review as a "Guest" I can't reply to you. Some of you have asked me questions using this mode and I'm sorry but I can't get back to you unless you sign in.**

**No beta on this so all mistakes are mine.**

**Time to see how Basderic is going to get out of a little pickle he finds himself in… mwahaha!**

Chapter 19

Basderic enjoyed giving explanations and he was just about to give Grissom a little insight as to the reasons for his captivity when the lights flickered again and there was another dull pop.

"Ah…" Basderic mumbled, "…I think Elvis may have left the building." He smiled and stood.

As he rushed back to his little security setup, the buzz of the monitors greeted him when he entered the small outer room. He watched as Sara and her supervisor disappeared into the darkness. "Excellent," he whispered to himself.

He reentered the room and grabbed his bag as Grissom watched him. "Sorry but it appears I have an opening and I must take it. Things I have to do. So again, the explanation will have to wait." He walked up to the entomologist and shrugged his shoulders. "First things first, but don't worry, I promise I will explain to you before all this is over."

Grissom remained silent, what could he say? He sighed a little though, secretly. His team had left. So again, he was totally alone. He could do nothing but watch as Basderic vanished through the door again.

His mind wondered as to what would come next. What mood would Basderic be in next time he returned? Would he actually be able to survive another bout of abuse? Basderic's beatings were getting worse and Grissom knew his body couldn't take much more. He certainly wouldn't be able to stand another shock session, not like the one he'd just been subjected to.

He thought of Sara then and the fact Basderic kept bringing her up. Putting two and two together gave him the answer that his predicament was definitely related to his wife and that his kidnapper had a vendetta against her. So he was actually being used in some way to get to _her_ and he was being punished to punish _her_.

Grissom coughed as he thought about the recording. Basderic was going to give it to Sara. His beating was for her benefit.

Trying to continue his train of thought suddenly became difficult and his eyes became very heavy again. He gave up thinking and just allowed them to close. Why fight it? He drifted back into unconscious just wishing he had some answers.

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As Russell headed back towards the house with Sara to gather his team, Basderic quickly but carefully exited the barn and retreated back across the grounds the same way he'd come in.

He cursed to himself as he went. He wasn't happy they had broken his lock to the barn. Did law enforcement always have to break things down? Retrieving a key wouldn't have been that difficult because there were copies in the house. Basderic knew the shelter was virtually inaccessible to anyone but him so he didn't worry about leaving a spare key around.

Upon reaching his car he quickly changed back in to his normal clothes and placed the other set into a garbage bag along with the sunglasses and the mask. He would dispose of them on his way to his next destination.

Sliding into the driver's seat, he reached to the glove box and pulled out a small diary. Flipping through the contacts he found _Joan_ and right at the bottom was an address. If she stayed out on her night off she always stayed with the same girlfriend but left the contact address just in case.

His tongue ran slowly over his bottom lip as he dropped the diary onto the seat and slipped his keys into the ignition. The problem was he still hadn't worked out what he was going to do when he got to her. Would he be able to keep her quiet?

Just as he was about to start the engine his cell rang. Hurriedly, he retrieved the appliance from his bag and frowned deeply when he saw the caller ID. Joan…

A rather odd coincidence but why was she calling him and especially at this hour?

"Hello?" he answered.

"Um…is this…" There was a pause, "…Ronald?"

Basderic's confusion grew, he wasn't sure of the voice. It certainly wasn't Joan.

"Maybe?" he answered cautiously. "Who's asking?"

"This is Tracey Lambert, I'm Joan's friend. She was staying with me tonight…"

He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. "Oh...yes. Why do you have Joan's phone?"

"The police just came, they took her away. She asked me to call Tom but I can't reach him. You're the only other person I could think of to call being Emily's brother and all…"

Basderic closed his eyes, biting down hard on his bottom lip. He sighed, tightly clenching the phone now. "How long ago?" he asked, trying to hide the growl which escaped with his question.

"Just a few minutes ago. They said they needed to question her about a missing person but that's all they told us. I don't know what to do to help her…"

Puffing out a breath Basderic took a moment to try and think.

"Are you still there?" Tracey questioned.

"Yeah," he grumbled. "Just…leave it with me, okay? I'll make sure she's alright."

Tracey sighed with relief. "Oh thank you. Can you tell her to call me and let me know what's going on?"

"I'll do that," Basderic replied plainly and hit end call. He threw the phone down onto the passenger seat and held his head in his hands. This had just gone from bad to worse.

He started the engine and rolled the car back onto the road. He'd got the drive back to PD to work out what the hell he was going to do now. He had a few ideas and one would require a stop off for stationary first…

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Russell along with Sara, Greg and Morgan arrived back at the lab to be met by Brass.

The captain had called Russell just as they left the estate to inform him they had picked up Joan Collier. Sara had ensured her drive back to the lab was a swift one.

"She's down in interview room two," Brass said as the group walked from reception and down the corridor.

"Did she give you any trouble?" Russell asked.

Brass shook his head. "Nope. She seems a bit irritated that we woke her in the middle of the night without much of an explanation but she came peacefully."

"Good," the supervisor shot back. "Sara, go find Finn and get her to meet me at the interview room please."

Sara didn't argue. She didn't hold much hope that he would allow her to conduct the interview so she rushed away to find her colleague.

"We've had a warning from Ecklie by the way," Brass continued. "If Joan confirms Tom Draper's story, we will have to release him. Marshall Smith is breathing right down our necks on this one."

Russell nipped his bottom lip but offered a no verbal reaction to the information. "Morgan, you go tell Nick to get everything together we've got so far and get sourcing the blueprints for the estate. We'll be having a meeting after this interview so we know exactly where we stand. And see if Archie has anything from the audio yet."

"You got it," she answered and was away.

"What about me?" Greg asked.

Russell smiled as they headed towards his office. "You're going to stay with Sara. She'll be watching outside the room I'm sure. Just make sure that's all she does." He stopped and looked his subordinate in the eye. "Can you handle that?"

"Um…I guess," Greg replied. "You think she might do something stupid?"

The older man sighed. "I don't know…" He ran a hand over his chin. "I just know time is getting short and the shorter it gets the shorter Sara's fuse will become."

Greg nodded. "Yeah…I'm gathering that."

They reached Russell's office. "I just need to get a few things and we'll be ready…"

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The CSI's and Brass observed Joan through the glass. Sara's eyes were firm and fixed on the younger woman's features.

"Now _she_ really does look like you," Russell said. "Similar face and build. I'd say with sunglasses and a scarf it might even be hard to tell you two apart."

Sara curled her nose, fighting the urge to just barge into the room and shake the information out of the woman before her. This time, she knew they had the right impersonator.

"Emily isn't involved in this," Sara said quietly, tilting her head to look at her boss. He gave her an inquisitive glance as did Brass. She snapped her eyes back to the glass and to Joan. "But _she_ is. I know it's her…"

Russell tapped the file he was holding with his fingertips. "I guess we'll have to find out," he replied. "Just make sure you keep your temper under control this time, okay?"

Sara didn't respond to that and didn't even look at him. She just couldn't seem to take her eyes away from their suspect.

"Sara?" Russell question. "Did you hear me?"

She sighed. "Sure…" she responded less than believably.

"Let's get on with it," Brass advised, knowing where Sara's head was. The longer they left it the more agitated she would become.

Sara continued to watch through the glass, Greg standing by her side. Brass entered the interview room first telling Mitch he could leave. The larger cop nodded and left the CSI's and the captain to their questioning.

Joan watched on as Russell and Finn sat opposite her and Brass hovered behind, crossing his arms over his chest.

Placing his files down on the desk, Russell smiled at the suspect. "Joan Collier?" he asked.

"I hope so," she replied. "But shouldn't you already know that? You're the ones who brought me here."

"Hmmm," Russell mewed. "Indeed we did."

"What is this all about?" Joan asked. "I don't appreciate being dragged out of bed at this hour without an explanation."

"We are investigating an abduction," Russell replied, feeling it best just to get to the nitty gritty.

Looking surprised, Joan shrugged "An abduction?" she just about laughed. "What does that have to do with me?"

Russell flipped open the first file and plucked out a photograph. He held it up. "Is this your SUV?"

Joan looked over the picture and nodded "It looks like it."

The supervisor cleared his throat. "Do you know a man by the name of Tom Draper?" he asked.

"Sure," she replied quickly. "We're dating, have been for some time. Why?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, God? Is he alright? Has something happened to him?"

"No," the supervisor replied flatly. "Nothing's happened to him."

She sighed with relief and held her hand over her heart.

"How long have you been dating?"

"Almost two years."

"Has Tom ever driven your vehicle?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "He uses it now and again."

Russell nodded. "Has he used it lately?"

Joan frowned, confusion to the line of questioning growing on her face. "Yes, day before last. We needed more feed for the horses so he kindly fetched it for Emily. Look, what is going on here?"

Russell looked to his coworker and both knew they would probably have to release Draper now. He sighed and took out a paper from the second file. He pushed the rental agreement for the kidnap vehicle across the table and sat back.

Joan frowned and picked up the offering, her eyes scanning carefully over it.

"Would you care to explain that to me?" the nightshift supervisor asked.

The young woman puckered her lips, looking back to the CSI. She shrugged. "I have no idea." She dropped the paper back onto the desk, pushing it towards him.

Russell was tired of playing games. "Who did you rent the car for, Joan?"

She shook her head, clearing her throat. "I don't know what you're talking about," she denied.

He knew the only woman who could ID her was dead, which was frustrating. Russell went back to his files and pulled out a photograph. He pushed that towards her but this time with less patience.

"That's a picture of a former CSI. His name is Gil Grissom," Russell explained.

Rolling her eyes, Joan picked up the photo and shrugged. "I don't know _him_."

"Maybe not but, the car you rented was used to kidnap him."

Now Joan looked nervous. "_What_?"

"He was kidnapped from the airport yesterday lunch time," Finn said, now taking a photo of Sara from the file and holding it up. "This is his wife, Sara Sidle. The woman _you_ impersonated while purchasing the rental. You two look quite alike wouldn't you say?"

"No…no…no…" Joan threw the photo down and shot to her feet. "I didn't kidnap anyone!" she shouted.

Brass stepped forward. "Sit down," he ordered.

Joan took a breath and sat back in her chair. A deep frown of concentration formed on her brow and it was obvious she was thinking. "What makes you think I rented that car?" she questioned. "What proof do you have? Do you have video evidence, a witness? What? What have you got?"

Finn looked to her boss and he nodded. The female CSI pushed over another photograph.

Looking down at the picture, Joan's eyes widened further as she stared at the dead body of Maggie Williams.

"She was killed earlier. Murdered. Cold bloodedly stabbed in the back with a kitchen knife. Can you think of a reason why? Because we think it was to keep her quiet about identifying anyone involved in the rental of that vehicle."

Joan looked stunned and she paled some, her eyes shooting to everyone in the room in turn. "I…"

"A man is missing, Joan," Russell said, his voice softer than it was. "And he has been hurt, we know that. We need to find him before it's too late and I know you know something."

She nodded on a heavy swallow. "You're right, I do know something…"

Sara took a step closer to the glass, her heart beating a little faster than it was a few seconds ago.

Everyone inside the room listened on with baited breath just as those did waiting outside.

"I know my rights," she continued. "And I want a lawyer."

Sara closed her eyes and sighed.

"Guess her admitting it would have just been too easy," Greg said.

"Oh yeah…" Sara mocked, her eyes opening. "Because we are just getting everything so easy aren't we?"

Russell could feel the frustration burning inside. "I need you to think very carefully about this, Joan," he warned. "Because at this point in time we can help you but you need to tell us the truth.

Joan listened for a moment.

Leaning forwards, Russell entwined his fingers over the desk. "One person is dead and another's life is in jeopardy unless we find him very, very soon. We just need to know who put you up to it. Tell us and we can strike a deal. Fraud is a lot more lenient than being an accessory to murder…"

Sara firmly folded her arms across her chest as Joan hesitated on her answer. "Oh she knows who did this alright," she mumbled. "I'd like just five minutes with her and then we can see what answers she has."

"I don't think so," Greg mumbled.

Suddenly Sara heard her name being called from behind and she and Greg turned to see a pretty panicked looking Hodges running towards them. Sara frowned as he reached them, gasping for breath.

"Jeez, Hodges," Greg mocked. "Where's the fire?"

Hodges tried to regain his breath and pointed behind him. "Another parcel came for you...well…kind of…"

Sara's eyes widened and she quickly unfolded her arms. "What?" she gasped. "Where?" Her heart pumped wildly, a sudden rush a blood seeping straight to her head causing a slight unsteadiness within her.

"Reception," he replied. "An officer parked out front just found it pinned to his windshield."

Sara looked to Greg, shocked and she moved but he grabbed her arm.

"We need to tell Russell," Greg warned. "Wait here."

Nodding dumbly, Sara waited even if she didn't want to and Greg rushed to the interview room door. He knocked and popped his head inside.

None of the law enforcement inside the room looked happy for the interruption at such a crucial time and all turned to stare at the young CSI. "Sorry," Greg apologized to his boss. "But, I need you outside, it's urgent."

Gritting his teeth together Russell stood, nodding to Finn and she followed him. Brass waited in the room with Joan.

After exiting the room Russell closed the door. "_What the hell are you doing_?" he snapped at his CSI. "I might never get another chance to convince her to confess now."

Russell wasn't happy, Greg gathered that. He swallowed hard and pointed behind him. "Hodges says another package came for Sara."

The supervisor looked stunned. "What?"

Greg nodded.

"Where?" Finn asked.

"Reception."

Sara rounded the corridor and Russell was quick to approach her. She took a breath and looked pretty nervous. The supervisor took her arm. "Come on…"

The four CSI's being swiftly followed by Hodges rushed to reception and sure enough, on the desk was a small package. The five people flanked along the desk and noted the numerous other staff members surrounding them. All looking worried. All knowing exactly who and what was at stake and that parcel could very well have something to do with it

Just like the box, it had no markings, just stuck down lettering on the front saying Sara Sidle.

Sara tried to swallow as her eyes fixed on the package but she found it incredibly difficult to gather any saliva.

"Did we see who delivered this?" Russell asked the receptionist, flexing his fingers.

She shook her head. "No, Sir, but…" She pointed over them, "…Officer Woods found it.

They all turned to see the cop hovering behind them.

"I was off out on patrol," he said, "And there it was. Just stuck under the wipers."

"Did you touch it? With your hands?" Russell asked.

Woods smiled. "No, Sir. Even those that aren't helping on the case know about it and what's going on. I used a handkerchief from my pocket. I knew you'd probably check for prints."

"Good work, thanks," Russell commended.

The officer nodded. "You need me, you can get me on the radio," he finished on before stepping away.

Russell and his group returned their attention to the package. The supervisor took latex gloves from his pocket and slipped them onto his hands. Sara watched on nervously as he carefully picked up the padded envelope.

Everyone backed up a few steps as he moved and they followed him down the corridor.

"Use my room," Hodges suggested. "It's closest."

Russell did so, entering the lab quickly and placing the package down onto a clutter free processing table. Standing back Russell looked to his team just as Nick and Morgan dashed into the room.

"We just heard another package came. Is that true?" Nick asked looking to Sara. She returned her attention to her boss and Nick looked in his direction. Nick saw the package and had his answer.

Taking a breath, Russell reached for a scalpel from the adjacent table and very carefully began cutting through the top of the small padded brown envelope.

Sara slipped her hand to her mouth, watching on with each tender slice, biting down hard on the skin of her fingers.

The concentration on Russell's face was extreme. He wanted to make as little damage as possible to both the envelope and what may lay inside. Any evidence he could take, he would have it.

Finally, he made the final cut and the top of the package was open. He took a pen from his top shirt pocket and bent over the table, carefully prizing the package open to see what was inside. Once he knew it was safe he picked the parcel back up and tipped the contents onto the desk.

Sara stepped forward and the team quickly followed her as a disc fell out encased in a plastic holder. The supervisor inspected the inside of the envelope, saw a piece of paper and pulled it out.

"What's that?" Sara asked quickly, feeling her pulse beating in her ears.

Licking his lips, Russell unfolded the paper to find a message. All in the same sticky lettering as the cover of the parcel.

"_The disc is just a starter if you don't give me what I want. $1 million dollars. You have six hours. I'll be in touch."_

Russell's jaw worked in circles as he looked over his shoulder to Sara. She was shaking her head, a firm frown upon her brow.

"Ransom?" Nick questioned. "This is all about money? What the hell?"

"This doesn't make sense," Sara mumbled. "This never was about money…"

"Maybe it isn't Basderic after all," Hodges butted in.

Slowly turning, Sara gave him a look that could turn any man to stone and he held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I was just saying. If it's all about you, then why is he asking for a million dollars? It's a simple observation…"

Russell cut the conversation short before it got nasty. "David, go and get Brass. Tell him to meet us at the AV lab."

The lab rat sighed, nodded and turned on his heels. Sara shook her head looking back to her boss.

He gave her a concerned smile. "Someone check this for prints," he said holding up the envelope. "I'll check the disc before we see what's on it."

Nick stepped up, taking gloves from the box on Hodges's desk and accepting the envelope from his boss.

The rest of the team watched on, anxiously, waiting to see if there would be any clue to the identity of the packages sender upon the items.

**A/N: Ugh uh… Almost time for Sara to see the beating *gulp*. I don't foresee her reaction being a good one. Will she see it? What will she do if she does? What is Basderic up to? It's all getting very interesting. *Rub hands together* - Excellent… Mwahaha.**

**Thoughts please :)**


	21. How could you do that to him?

**A/N: Hey guys. Here we go with another chapter. I have to say I really feel for Sara in this one. Poor Sara. Bad hat! Lol.**

**Thanks for your continuing support and great reviews. Please, please, please keep your thoughts coming. It's why us writers write – to get your feedback. It makes up happy. **

**So no more ramble, let's see how Sara's going to react to the little movie Basderic prepared… Eeeep….**

Chapter 20

The team hurried to the AV lab, Russell sticking closely to Sara and keeping a very watchful eye on her.

No prints had been found upon the envelope or the disc, not that anyone really expected there to be any.

Archie slowly stood from his desk as the CSI's rushed in, removing the headphones from his ears. "What's up guys?" he asked as Russell moved to large center monitor.

"A disc came for Sara," Greg informed him as no one else really seemed to be paying any attention to the lab rat.

"Oh…" the young technician mumbled, leaving his audio task for a moment to hover with the group. After all, he _was_ the audio/visual specialist so he might actually be of some use.

Brass entered the room just as Russell inserted the disc into the player. "This better be good," Brass said pointing over his shoulder, "Because I left Hodges watching our suspect and I don't think he's all that happy about it."

All eyes apart from Sara's gave him an astonished look and he just gave everyone a false smile. Sara however was unable to move or pull her attention away from the blank screen staring back at her.

Sara felt her legs turn a little to jelly as everyone crowded together. She recalled Nick's kidnapping and a similar situation. The team was very different now but it felt like she was back in that very same room.

But it wasn't the same. This time it was her husband. She only prayed to god that what they were about to see wasn't going to be like what Nick suffered.

Everyone looked at the monitor as Russell stepped back. It took a few seconds but then an image popped up and everyone knew it was Grissom they were looking at.

Sara's head kinked a little to the right as her eyes focused. "Oh my God," she whispered. She felt an arm wrap around her waist but she didn't really acknowledge it. She just couldn't take her eyes from the screen. Finn held her closely and it was a good job because as soon as the figure in black appeared, she felt her entire body swaying.

No one in the room said a word as the mysterious figure held up an appliance to the incarcerated former CSI.

"_You know what this is?"_

Every nerve ending in Sara's body stood on end when the kidnaper hit the trigger on the stun gun and she shuddered as the sound of the electric charge ricocheted through her husband's prison.

"_Answer the question, do you know what this is?"_

"_Yes, it's a stun gun…"_

Sara whimpered as her husband answered. His voice was so pained, so fragile. But she had confirmation it was him. And for now he was alive. For now…

"_Good…"_

The team watched as the figure disappeared from view. Nick had his fists firmly planted in his hips, Greg was chewing on his knuckles, Brass looked like he was ready to shoot someone. The air in the room was so thick, you could have iced a cake with it.

Sara's heart pitched up another notch as her husband suddenly began to beg and it sounded like he was begging for his life.

_"Oh, God…Please….no…don't.__Not again__. I'm begging you…"_

Russell immediately got what was going to happen as the figure reappeared holding a spike and a mallet. His right eye twitched for a second. _Spike….._

He shrugged the thought aside for now and concentrated on the video. He had already identified Grissom's left hand injury. That must have been what they'd heard during the phone call at the airport and he knew the right hand was about to receive the same fate. He rushed forwards and hit pause on the recording, stepping in front of the screen to block it.

Sara looked at him and blinked.

He swallowed heavily, flexing his fingers in and out as he looked into her eyes. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to be watching this," he said as gently as he could. His mouth hung open as he sought the right thing to say. However he said it though, it wouldn't make it any easier. "I think we can all guess what's about to happen and…"

"_Put it back on_," Sara demanded. "_Now_…"

Swiping a hand over his mouth Russell looked back to the screen. Grissom was already a mess. Beaten, bleeding, helpless and at the mercy of his kidnapper. He dreaded what was about to come and he feared the worst and Sara's reaction.

"Maybe he's right, Sara," Brass said attempting to dissuade her, placing a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "It's all part of the plan, you now that. You don't have to see this…"

She bitterly shrugged her friend off and he took a step forward. "_I said put it back on_," she repeated. "I have to see this no matter how bad it is. _I need to know_…"

Russell looked up, taking a moment, gritting his teeth together in thought. He really didn't want her to watch the footage but he understood. If it were him, he would want to see it also. "Okay," he conceded, even if he knew it wasn't the right decision.

He hit play again and cleared a path to the screen. Everyone continued watching.

"_Maybe we'll have time to get to your feet…"_

The entire room watched in horror as the mallet was raised and the spike was drilled straight through Grissom's hand.

Sara's own hand immediately shot to her mouth and her eyes clouded with tears as the crack of his bone and then his uncontrollable screaming tore through the silence in the room.

But still, she couldn't take her eyes from him.

Morgan turned away for a second, as did Archie. It was a little too much for the two.

"Dear, Jesus," Nick whispered as he witnessed his former mentor flailing around like a rag doll.

Now Sara sobbed as her husband passed out and his attacker vanished from view again.

"Something tells me this isn't over," Brass said, his voice, heavy, rough, emotional.

Indeed he was right for then came the wakeup call with the water and then the stun gun.

"God, no…" Sara wept as Grissom was hit with the first wave of electrical assault. She jumped again and again as the trigger was pumped, as did most of the team members in the room.

Tears trickled down Sara's cheeks as she watched the entire attack from start to finish. Her entire mind a whirlwind of dizziness, her stomach a pit of horror and anguish. Finn held onto her a little tighter as her body began to quiver.

When the attacker finally stepped back, after another pleading attempt from Grissom, every face in the room looked dazed. Tears fell, not just from Sara. Both Greg and Archie swiped away a few fallen drops. Everything went deathly silent, the footage continuing to roll…

"_You want some more?"_

"_No."_

"_Say please…"_

"_Please…"_

The person in black turned and approached the camera. "_Time really is running out."_

_Click – _The screen went black.

Everyone just stared dumbly at the blank screen for a moment. It hadn't seemed to filter through anyone's brain yet that the footage had finished and the beating was over. Eventually, Russell slowly turned to face the group.

Sara wretched, without warning, pulling away from Finn so sharply, the older CSI almost leapt out of her skin not expecting the sudden action. Sara pushed Greg out of the way and just about managed to reach the waste paper basket before her entire stomach contents were relieved into it.

Everyone watched, their faces highlighting nothing but devastation and they all looked at each other for guidance. Slowly, Finn approached her co-worker and placed a gentle hand in the center of her back just as another wave of vomit came.

"Try and take some deep breaths," Finn advised, softly rubbing Sara's back. "Nice and easy, just breathe…"

Russell drew closer, gnawing on his bottom lip. Images of the video stuck in his head. He knew there was so much to look at in the footage but first his priority was Sara.

After a minute or so, Sara straightened herself out and took a breath. She wiped her mouth on her jacket sleeve and her tears on the backs of her hands. Her eyes were blood shot, lost, angry…

She pushed passed Finn to stumble towards the door.

"_Sara_…" Greg began, his plea nothing but concern for his friend.

Reaching the open door Sara stopped and leaned against it. Crouching down without a single word she held her head in her hands.

Russell took Greg's arm as he went to move towards her. "Just give her for a minute," he advised softly. "She'll need a little time…"

Greg swallowed, looking to his boss. "I don't know if any amount of time is going to help her get over _that_." He pointed sharply to the screen. "What kind of an inhuman monster does that to someone?" the young CSI shouted now.

"Greg calm down," Nick pleaded, stepping up to his friend and colleague.

"Grissom's my friend and were letting that asshole get away with this," Greg held his ground and continued on a rant.

Now everyone pitched in and a small squabble began. Every person highlighting their frustrations at the circumstances. All in the room, whether they knew Grissom or not, wanted to find him, so after the footage, tension was certainly running high.

"Enough!" Russell shouted, stopping the bickering.

The room silenced. "This isn't going to help anyone now is it?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Now everyone take a breath and calm down, okay? We're a team, no arguing. Not now. We got that?"

Everyone looked regretful and all mumbled some form of apology.

"This video could very well be our key to finding Grissom, so let's…" Russell continued but he was cut short.

Nick looked back to the door and his eyes widened. "Oh hell….Where did Sara go?" he asked, shooting towards the now empty space.

"Oh, no…." Russell mumbled darting from the room and into the corridor. Everyone but Archie followed him and looked around.

"_She was just there_," Nick insisted, holding out a hand.

"Okay, okay…" Russell thought quickly. "Finn, check the bathroom, Greg, the break room, Nick, the locker room. Jim you better make sure she hasn't gone for our suspect down in the interview room. Morgan, check the labs. I'll go this way, you go that way. Everyone, Go…now!"

The team frantically dispersed, running in all directions.

Archie shook his head. Still trying to comprehend what he'd just seen. But, he had to push his personal feelings aside and do the job he was paid to do. He pulled up a chair by the monitor, flicked the recording to the start and hit play…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell spun on his heels at the end of the corridor. He'd checked the entire east side and nothing. Retracing his steps he pulled out his cell and hit Sara's name.

The cell rang five times before cutting to answer phone. _"This is Sara, leave a message."_

Working his jaw Russell kept his eyes alert just in case she surfaced. "Sara, where did you go?" he said into the appliance. "I know your hurting, honey, but we don't have time for this. Just let me know where you are…"

He bumped into Greg and Nick as he reached the AV lab again.

"We can't find her," Greg said. "She isn't anywhere."

Russell's eyes narrowed and he looked around again. "She isn't anywhere here," he deduced, backing away, turning and high tailing it towards reception.

Nick and Greg ran after him.

The supervisor literally skidded into the front desk. "Have you seen Sara?" he asked, taking a well needed breath.

"Yeah. She left about five minutes ago," the receptionist answered. "Looked like she was in a hurry too. Although, she didn't seem very happy or...very with it to be honest with you. She looked a little dazed."

The three CSI's looked at each other.

"She's going after him," Russell said.

Nick nodded.

"Greg, tell Brass. Tell him she's going after Basderic and to get the hell over there now." Russell didn't wait for his CSI to reply and was out of the front entrance in a flash, Nick hot on his heels.

They ran to Russell's truck and jumped inside.

Nick pulled out his cell and tried calling Sara. It went straight to voice mail. "Sara...Sara _don't do this_. You need to calm down, okay? You know this is what he wants. Don't give in to him. _Come on Sara_…pick up…"

He sighed as he ended the call.

Russell had his foot flat on the gas. "I knew letting her watch that footage was a mistake," he grumbled.

Nick cracked his neck, feeling the frustration oozing through him. "Not your fault, Russell," he argued. "Sorry, but with your permission or without it, she would have watched that disc. And if you were in her shoes, you would have too." He tried calling again and still no luck. "I feel guilty for not watching her. We should have been watching her…"

Checking the digital clock on the dash, Russell nodded. "Yeah we should…but there's nothing we can do apart from pray we get there in time…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara pulled her car to slow halt in the street across from Basderic's home. She watched through the window, just like she had done not so long ago.

Her phone vibrated on the seat again but unlike her previous visit to Basderic's house, she didn't answer it this time. She had absolutely no intention of answering it. Her slender fingers coiled around her weapon which sat next to her cell and she checked the barrel before snapping it closed.

Tears burned her eyes as she slipped the weapon into it's holster. Such a mixture of emotion was running through her head. Pain, hate, desperation, guilt but most of all fury. The man inside that house had tortured her husband and tortured him to a point that he could no longer even keep his own consciousness.

As the bile began to rise in her throat again, she pushed the car door open, slamming it closed behind her.

She knew Grissom's condition would be worsening by the second after now knowing the extent of his injuries and indeed his time was running out.

She wanted answers.

She needed answers.

And at that point, she didn't care what she had to do to get them.

Sara felt like she was floating as she crossed the street and approached his door. Stopping by the entrance to his home, she took a deep breath and pulled out her gun. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline pumping so fast through her veins she almost felt dizzy as she coiled her hand around the door knob and twisted.

The door wasn't locked and she slowly pushed it open. The house was exactly as she remembered it and she shuddered once she'd stepped inside. This was the last place on earth se really wanted to return to.

Her eyes scanned around as she took a few more steps into the living space and her head snapped around when he walked out from the kitchen.

Sara raised her gun, pointing it right at him, strong and determined. Tears of fury burned her eyes again and her finger tensed on the trigger.

He saw her immediately and froze, dropping the bag of chips which he had in his hand.

She kinked her head to the left, her nostrils flaring at the man she despised so very much. "There's a firing pin in it this time," she growled. "_You are one sick bastard_!" she shouted, thrusting the gun forwards through her anger.

He slowly held up his hands. "I don't know what you're talking about," he denied. "And what are you doing here? You're breaking my restraining order again. Shame on you. You're going to get me in trouble."

"Do you think this is a game?" Angrily, she pulled back the safety. "I'll break more than your fucking restraining order," she roared, trying to hold back her tears. "_How could you do that to him_?" A tear slipped down her cheek. "_You've crippled him_…"

Basderic shook his head. "I haven't done anything."

"Liar!" she hollered, taking another step closer. "_You tell me where he is RIGHT NOW _or I'm going to _end_ you!"

He smiled smugly. "I doubt that."

Sara tensed her finger on the trigger and fired. The bullet whizzed past Basderic and shattered a vase on the table behind him. He jumped and looked to the shattered porcelain in shock.

Now he looked worried as his attention shot back at her.

"Next time, _I won't miss_," Sara threatened. "_Where… is… he_?"

Basderic took a step back just as Nick and Russell ran in the open door.

Both CSI's came to a grinding halt in the doorway and Nick tried to calm her. "Sara..." he began, holding up a pleading hand.

She didn't flinch and kept her gun on Basderic.

"Sara, put the gun down," Nick begged taking one small step closer.

"_He did this_..."

Russell remained silent realizing Nick probably had a better chance of talking her down. But then Brass joined the party, followed by Greg and the captain wasn't happy at what he saw.

Nick looked to the lawman and Brass gave a quick nod, stepping forwards and taking over.

"Sara, listen..." Brass began slowly edging towards her. "Please…listen to me, okay?"

Turning her head to look at him, another tear fell down her cheek.

"You know this isn't you...and you know he's not worth you spending the rest of your life in a cell." He slowly raised his hand. "This isn't going to find Gil. Honey…give me the gun."

Her attention shifted back to Basderic. She so wanted to pull the trigger. The pain this man had put her through and now the torture he was inflicting upon her husband...

Brass got closer and closer until his hand carefully slid over her weapon and he gently pushed her hand down. She didn't fight him and bowed her head, allowing him to take the weapon from her fingers. The captain held the gun behind him, passing it to Nick.

Softly taking Sara's arm, Brass gently pulled her towards the entrance. She didn't say a word as he lead her out of the house and closed the door but the second they were out of sight from those inside he pulled her into a mammoth hug and she cried into his shoulder.

He held her tightly, sliding a caring hand to the back of her head as she uncontrollably cried into him. "We'll get him," he whispered. "I promise…We'll get him…"

**A/N: Ugh, heavy. *Sniff* I don't see things going well for Sara after this. Wonder how Basderic is going to react and what's next? What do you think? :)**


	22. Out of control

**A/N: Ooooohh, another chapter, yay! I must be on a roll to post both this and The Calling in one day. I could have waited to post but I know a lot of you are keen for another installment. So here it is. Mwahahaha. Evil hat has got me very confused trying to work things together so I hope this comes out alright. **

**Thanks, as always for your comments and reviews. Keep em coming! I don't mind giving away the odd secret :D**

**SO, let's see exactly what evil hat is up to. **

Chapter 21

Brass gently closed the back door to his car, leaving Sara blindly staring out of the window, just looking out into nothing.

Greg sat in the front seat, watching her through the mirror. The pain on her face made the young CSI so sad. She was his friend and he couldn't bear to see her so lost. But he didn't know what to do to try and make her feel any better. What she'd been through in the last twenty four hours, he wouldn't wish upon anyone let alone someone as close to him as Sara.

"Are you alright?" he braved to ask.

She just ignored him, not moving an inch, continuing to stare out at the street lights off in the distance.

Sara felt like she'd been smothered. Like a huge plastic bag had been placed over her head and all the air cut off. She heard nothing but her husband screaming and saw only the images of the footage playing over and over in her head.

Greg sighed and looked back to the house, just wondering what their next move was going to be.

Brass marched back to the house, his swagger defining his mood. Strong, bold, angry. His patience was wearing very thin but now they had their so called suspect to contend with. The suspect who now, he knew, would become the accuser.

He entered the front door to find Russell and Nick being chewed out by Basderic.

"You really better do something about her," Basderic threatened. "She should be locked up for that."

Nick looked to the lawman, chewing down on his bottom lip. "He wants Sara arresting for attempted murder," the CSI informed him.

"Or assault with a deadly weapon at the very least," Basderic added.

Brass puckered his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "_For what_?" he asked. "I haven't had any reports..."

"She tried to kill me!" Basderic growled, looking behind him to the shattered porcelain. "And tell me how would you like to explain your CSI's weapon being fired in my home if you're denying this ever happened?"

Brass curled up his nose and approached the suspect with a purpose. Basderic took a step back but Brass sidestepped him to examine the damage. He looked around keenly, searching for one thing and smiled when he found it embedded in the wall behind where the now broken vase had previously sat.

He took a pen from his pocket and gouged the bullet from the wall. He pinched the metal between finger and thumb and placed it in his pocket. He shrugged again. "No signs of any CSI firing a gun here. Maybe you should be more careful if you have weapons in your home, Mr. Basderic."

Nick and Russell exchanged a glance knowing exactly what Brass was doing but they weren't about to argue. They weren't about to help Basderic one little bit knowing what he'd done and was still doing.

"You can't do that," Basderic said, stunned Brass was pocketing evidence.

The captain smiled sarcastically and now went head to head with Basderic, squaring right up to him. "I don't like people who mess with my friends, especially _my close friends_," he informed the suspect. "And I _really_ don't like you. Think yourself lucky that I actually stopped her from firing another shot but, be warned…If you go near her again, just once more, I won't save you next time."

Basderic swallowed hard. "I think you should all leave," he requested calmly, realizing agitating the lawman any further probably wouldn't be the best of ideas.

Brass leaned into him and Basderic ducked back a little. "Be seeing you soon," the captain whispered before turning on his heels and heading back to the door.

Nick pointed a firm finger at the suspect but Russell took his arm. "Don't waste your time," the supervisor said, urging his CSI towards the door. "He's not worth it and I'm sure we'll have our time with him soon enough."

Basderic watched as the two CSI's vanished through the door and closed it. Once the door was shut, he rushed to it and quickly bolted it. He leaned back against the woodwork and then, a broad smile appeared on his lips.

Sara was hurting so much, he liked that, his plan was working. But his smile faltered when he realized just how close she'd come to shooting him. That wasn't exactly part of the strategy. Deep down though, he knew she wouldn't do it and he gloried in her reaction and the fact she would now be in deep shit with her boss.

Soon, he would control Sara Sidle and everything she did.

He snapped from his thought when he heard the faint ringing of his cell. Hurrying to the kitchen he retrieved the appliance from the counter top and looked at the caller ID.

Tom.

His brow rose and he quickly answered.

"Tom?" Basderic answered cautiously.

"Yeah, it's me," Tom replied.

Basderic's eyes worked in circles. "What's…"

"They just released me," Tom cut him short. "You always did have a good brief, Ronald, I'll give you that. He just about demanded it once they knew they couldn't make anything stick on me. Now…"

Basderic heard a whistle and frowned.

"…you want to explain to me what the hell is going on and why I've just spent several hours in a cell on suspicion of kidnapping?"

"Where are you?" Basderic asked.

"Just getting a cab."

Walking into the living room, Basderic paced back and forth and scratched his forehead. "Okay, go back to your place, I'll come and meet you there."

"They've got Joan in there," Tom whined. "They marched her right passed me. They better let her go and you better have a damn good explanation for this shit you have got us involved in, Bud, or I swear I'm telling them everything."

Stopping by the window, Basderic looked out, spotting the CSI's still on his driveway. "Calm down, Tom," he replied with a purpose. "I'll give you all the facts and I'll explain everything. Just trust me. I'll be there as soon as I can…"

"You better be," Tom spat, ending the call.

Shaking his head, Basderic clenched the phone tightly. He thought for a second and then called his lawyer.

"Yes, Ronald?" Marshall answered within to rings.

"What's happening with my sister and Joan?" Basderic asked, his eyes narrowing and keeping a firm stare on the law enforcement outside. "I know they have released Tom but what about them?"

Marshall sighed. "I'm working on it. Your sister's release is imminent. I believe they have concluded she isn't involved but I'll keep you updated."

"And what about Joan?"

"Now that's different. I don't think it's looking too good. She's in a cell right now awaiting further questioning. But they may have evidence against her that I can't fight at this point. It all really depends how much she is willing to give them."

Turning away from the window, Basderic grabbed his jacket. He had to leave the second the CSI's were gone. "Great…" he mumbled. "Just keep me informed. When you know _anything_, I want to know." He hung up and pulled his jacket on with a great amount of frustration.

He held his hand to his head and thought. He knew time was against him now and there was only one way he was going to prevent his plan from falling apart…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell hovered in the driveway with Nick and Brass, all three looking at the car and Sara who had her head turned away from them.

"So now what?" Nick asked, thumping his fists into his hips. "That bastard is a monster and we're just walking away from him. _Again_…"

The supervisor's cell rang and he was cut short on his answer. He checked the caller ID and sighed. "Great, Ecklie…"

"What are you gonna tell him?" Brass questioned.

Russell shook his head. "Depends what he asks," he answered, slowly approaching the car but he stopped before he reached it, his colleagues beside him. "Get Greg will you, I need to discuss something with him."

Nick look irritated but did as requested. "Sure…" he grumbled.

The senior CSI answered his call with some trepidation. "Conrad…"

"What the hell is going on?" the sheriff snapped. "_Where_ are you?"

"Umm…" Russell turned away from the vehicle, trying to keep his voice quiet, "…we had a little problem..."

Ecklie sighed. "Sara?"

"Yeah."

"I've just seen the footage. Finn said Sara just vanished and then so did you guys."

Russell cleared his throat. "Yeah but it's sorted."

"Sorted? _How is this sorted_? Where did Sara go? After seeing that…" Ecklie paused and sighed, "…she must be a mess…"

Now Russell sighed. "She is."

"So what are you doing now?" Ecklie asked. "I've got your suspect locked up in a cell still waiting for her interrogation to be concluded and the DA is right up my ass about all these suspects and no evidence."

Russell looked back to the car as Greg got out. Nick stayed by the vehicle, watching over Sara. "I'm going to take Sara home and I'd like a squad car to watch her place."

There was a pause from Ecklie. "Did she go to Basderic's?" he questioned almost knowingly.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Russell felt a headache coming on. "Yeah," he almost whispered. "But we got to her before any damage was done."

"You know what you need to do, don't you?" the sheriff questioned. "I'm trusting you to get t done."

"Yeah, I know," the supervisor admitted.

"We had to release Tom Draper and Emily Hicks won't be far behind him. Smith is breathing so heavily down my neck and without any hard evidence we can't hold them."

Russell licked his lips. "I don't think Emily is involved in this but as for Draper... He's involved. I'm planning on getting something from Joan Collier when I get back. She's our key. She rented that car and she knows a hell of a lot more than she is admitting to…"

"Well, you better hurry up," Ecklie advised, urgency in his tone. "After seeing the state of Gil, he doesn't look like he's got long left if…" The sheriff just couldn't quite finish his thought.

"I get it," Russell stated glumly.

"What about this ransom? You think that's for real?"

Now Russell shook his head, kicking a stone across the driveway. "I don't know. That isn't sitting right with me."

"We can discuss everything when you get back, just hurry up."

"Okay." Russell hung up and slipped his cell back into his jacket.

Greg approached his boss, arms firmly crossed over his chest, looking cold and uncomfortable. "Do you need me?" the young CSI asked.

Russell nodded, looking over to the car just as Sara turned her head to look back at him. "There's something I want you to do…"

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Basderic watched as the two law enforcements vehicles drove away. The second he was sure they were long gone, he gathered his necessary items, packed them into a bag and left the house. Luckily, Tom only lived a few blocks away so he wouldn't have long to wait until he could attempt to sort his_ issue_.

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Brass's car rolled through the streets of Vegas. Russell in the front seat next to the captain, Greg in the back next to Sara. Nick had taken Russell's truck and headed back to the lab. He just wanted to get back onto finding Grissom as soon as he could.

Sara frowned when she noted their location and spoke for the first time since her confrontation with Basderic. "Where are we going?" she asked, noticing it wasn't the way to the lab.

Turning in his seat, Russell looked at her. "You're going home and you're going to get some rest."

She blinked at him as if she'd misheard. "Erm…" she stuttered. "What?"

Russell just stared at her, knowing she'd heard him fine.

"No…no…" Sara shook her head. "We have that video to analyze. We still need to find Gil…"

Russell gave Brass a quick flick of his eyes, noting the captain was working his jaw back and forth.

"You can't work on this anymore," the supervisor stated, trying to keep his tone soft.

Sara laughed, but it wasn't in jest. Her mouth forming her trademark 'you have got to be kidding me, grimace.'

"You _can not_ take me off this," Sara spat.

Russell shook his head. "You are out of control, Sara. You almost just killed a man. You are a risk to this case now as well as to yourself. I told you not to go near him again and you did. Don't you realize what you could have done?"

"I'd do it again," she growled.

Clicking his lips together, the supervisor sighed. "Exactly. You're playing right into his plans, into his game and you are compromising finding your husband."

Now her expression turned to total disbelief. "_How dare you_?" she seethed now. "Do you have _any_ idea how I feel watching what that sick freak did to my husband? What's he's probably _still_ doing?"

"We're here," Brass announced, pulling up his car outside Sara's place, attempting to cut the conversation off before it got out of control.

"You have two choices, Sara," Russell said bluntly. "Either you stay here with Greg, get some rest and sort out where your head is at or you can stay in a cell. One way or another, I'm going to know where you are and you really need to get some sleep and calm down."

Sleep? How the hell did he think she was going to sleep? And she couldn't quite grasp what he was saying.

He held out his hand. "I've already got your weapon but I want your ID. I'll call you when we get something."

Sara felt her nostrils flaring and anger once again pulsed through her veins. She snorted and reached into her pocket for her ID. She threw it at her supervisor. "Keep it! I quit!"

She lunged for the door handle and shot out for the car before a rather stunned looking Russell could even say a word.

"Damn it," Brass moaned, himself now going for his door but Russell grabbed his arm. "Leave her be," he advised. "I doubt she meant that and we don't have time for this. She's so very angry. She needs time to cool off and have a think. I'll talk to her later."

Brass huffed and straightened himself out.

"Greg stay with her, just like we discussed. I'll call you when I get to the lab and let you know what I need you to do," Russell said.

"Got it," Greg replied and rushed to follow his friend.

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"Sara, wait!" Greg shouted, running up behind her just as she opened her front door and disabled the alarm.

She sucked in her threatening tears and tried to get the door closed before he reached her.

But, unlikely for Sara, Greg got to the door just in time and stuck his foot in, halting her locking him out. He was swift the wrap his hands around the frame.

"Leave me along, Greg," Sara demanded, trying to pull on the door.

"No way," he responded. "Just let me in."

"_Just go away_!"

"I'm not going anymore, Sara," he shot back. "Now unless you want to stay like this all night, I'd suggest you just back up."

"AAAGGGHHH!" she shouted, releasing the door in a huff and waving her hands. "Do what the hell you want!"

Quickly, she turned and rushed through to the living room.

Greg sighed and stepped into the house, closing the door behind him. He found Sara in the kitchen, leaning against the counter top, harshly gnawing away at her thumb nail. He watched her for a few minutes before saying anything.

"Russell's right you know," he said gently. "You need to get some sleep. Even if just a few hours."

She glared at him. "The investigation into finding my husband is now two people down and you expect me to sleep? Did you not see that video?" Tears now filled her eyes. "Did you not see what he's doing to…" She held her hand to her mouth unable to stop the uncontrollable wave of sobbing that commenced.

Greg felt his own tears build and stepped forwards, taking her upper arms and pulling her into a warm embrace.

She didn't fight him and clung tightly to her friend. "He must be in so much pain," she cried.

"I know…" he whispered into her. "We'll find him…"

Pulling back, she wiped her tears on the back of her hand and tried to compose herself. "You should get back to the lab," she sniffed.

He shook his head. "I'm staying here. Russell will be in touch."

"I don't need a babysitter, Greg," she implored.

"No," he replied. "But you need a friend and I'll be here until I'm told otherwise and so will you."

Oh Sara didn't like that. "Keeping me a prisoner in my own home?" she argued. "You gonna stop me leaving?"

He backed away a little, noting her eyes darkening and her tone changing to one of anger. "Please don't fight with me, Sara. Neither of us need that right now. And you can't be taking the law into your own hands. Why don't you just try and get some sleep? I know you've got sleeping pills…"

Her brow rose. "Oh I forgot," she snorted. "My entire life is always lab knowledge isn't it?"

Leaning against the counter he looked away. He just didn't know what else to say.

"I need to be alone," Sara whispered, brushing past him. He followed her until she reached the bedroom and she slammed the door closed behind her.

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Basderic reached his friend's house in record time and sat in his car for a few moments, just watching, contemplating. There was light shining through the drapes and movement behind them, so he knew Tom was inside.

He checked up and down the road, making sure no one was around before he pulled his car up onto the driveway. Quickly exiting his vehicle, he opened the double garage and drove the car inside.

Working his neck in a full circle, he felt it crack and smiled in satisfaction, it felt good. Reaching for his bag, he took out a pair of gloves and slipped them onto his hands. He then slipped the bag over his shoulder and left the car.

Looking around the garage he saw the door into the house and went straight to it, just hoping it was open. He tried the handle and with a _click_, the door opened. Smiling, he quietly entered, closed the door and moved straight into the kitchen.

He didn't expect Tom to be in that room though but he was, his back facing him, reaching into a cupboard for something. Basderic watched as his friend grabbed a bottle of bourbon and inspected the bottle.

"I can help you out with that," Basderic said coolly.

Tom jumped, spinning around to face the intruder. "Shit, Ronald!" he shouted. "You never heard of knocking?"

Basderic shrugged and reached into his bag, pulling out his own bottle of alcohol. "Want some of mine?"

Slamming his bottle down onto the counter, Tom approached his so called friend. "I want an explanation, that's what I want," he retorted, pointing a firm finger. "Did you kidnap that guy?"

Keeping a straight face, Basderic popped the top from the bottle. "Got a couple of glasses?"

Tom huffed, his frustration very evident. "Yeah…" he sighed, stepping to the side to grab two glasses from the counter.

Basderic followed him and was swift to fill both glasses with the amber liquor. Tom quickly picked up one of the glasses and downed the entire contents. Basderic half smiled and refilled his glass yet he didn't take a single drink himself.

"So…" Tom took another heavy glug from his glass, "…are you going to explain or what? My patience is all but gone." He swayed a little, suddenly feeling a little woozy. "Phew that's good, shit…" he said looking at his glass.

"_Very good_," Basderic agreed keenly. "What would you like to know?" He placed his bag down on the counter and rubbed his gloved hands together.

Tom snorted but then his face got very serious. "What have you got me involved in? They accused me of being involved in kidnapping that CSI. They asked about you, implied you were behind it. And now…" He shook his head, his vision becoming a little blurry, "…they've got Joan in there too. She helped you because of me. Now please tell me you didn't do what they are saying? I could lose everything…"

"What if I told you it was me," Basderic responded calmly. "What would you do?"

Taking a breath, Tom leaned against the counter. He didn't feel so good. "I've known you for years, Ronald, and I thought we were friends. But no friend does something like that."

The security officer looked Basderic in the eye, well he tried to, realization dawning upon him. "It is you, isn't it?" he concluded. "You've taken that man and it's all about that woman and you being in prison…"

Basderic just stared at him.

Tom began backing away, finding it hard to keep his retreat a straight one, his swagger becoming very wobbly. "You've lied to me about everything, haven't you?"

Reaching to his bag, Basderic laid his hand on top of it, keeping a nice, calm composure. "I asked you what you were going to do about it…"

"I am not spending my life in prison because of anyone, Ronald. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have done this." Tom turned quickly and rushed, somewhat unsteadily from the kitchen.

Basderic cleared his throat reaching into his bag. "I was afraid you were going to say that…"

**A/N: Interesting…. What's going to happen now? A see a little unexpected twist coming up…. Thoughts please… :)**


	23. Hard Evidence

**A/N: Ah ha, well. It looks like evil hat has a new accomplice. The amazing cropper1818 has jumped on board to aid my poor little brain with her brilliant talents! It's been a while since we have worked together but that should make this oh so much more interesting now. Mwahahaha! I thank you so much for your help and beta.**

**BTW, if you haven't read her Prisoners of The Dance, get to it. She is now working on finishing it off! And it's a fantastic GSR read.**

**Thanks, as always for your reviews. Please keep them coming. They brighten up my days!**

**So where were we? Oh yeah, Evil hat was laughing. Lol. Let's see if the team are going to get anywhere shall we?**

Chapter 22

Sara teetered on the edge of her bed staring at the sleek, golden picture frame sitting atop her bedside table. A shot of herself and her husband grinned back at her through the transparent glass. A shaky hand scooped up the photo and she trembled her finger over his face. The photo had been taken a few days after he'd arrived in Costa Rica. It was such a happy time and the smiles on their faces were so full of joy, so full of love.

A non-relenting lump formed in her throat, so harsh, so heavy, she found it hard to breath for a few moments. She put the photograph down and closed her eyes. "Pull yourself together," she whispered to herself. How was this going to help find him? She had to get her head straight and to hell with Russell and what he thought was best for her. She was going to do whatever she had to do to bring Basderic down and find the man she loved. Even if that meant doing it on her own.

Taking a deep breath she stood, shrugged off her jacket then pulled her shirt over her head. Clad in her bra and pants she strolled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. A good, hot shower would freshen her up.

Then, one way or another, she would be back on his case…

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Russell marched down the lab corridor with Brass in tow. All eyes were upon them, hushed whispering coming from every corner. The people knew about the video and most suspected something happened with Sara although no one on Russell's team was broadcasting the news. If the DA found out what she had done, she would no doubt be in a cell and without her job, whether she wanted it or she didn't regardless of personal circumstance.

Nick suddenly appeared from one of the labs and joined the duo as they strode purposefully through the corridor. "How's she doing?" he asked, walking with them.

"Not good," Russell replied turning the corner. "She threw her badge at me and quit."

"You're kiddin?" Nick gasped in his typical Texan drawl.

"I won't take it to heart at this time," Russell shot back. "I'm going to speak with Ecklie," he continued. "And then it's time to get some information out of Joan Collier." He looked to Brass. "Can you get her down to the interview room please, Jim? And, get someone to take in a TV, DVD player and a copy of the footage Sara got sent, will you?"

Brass frowned. "Okay…" he replied, a little confused to Russell's request but shuffled away to do as asked.

Now Russell gave his CSI his attention as they continued walking. "Nick, see if Hodges has found anything new from the trace we pulled from the car and then I want every available body on that audio, the footage and getting hold of the blue prints for the ranch. Get that video ripped apart and if no one has managed to reach anyone from the County Clerk's office yet about the prints, get some officers to start banging on doors and waking people up."

Nick nodded as his superior continued.

"There has to be something useful on that video. Get a copy sent over to Greg, it will give him something to do. Send it to his email, I'll call him shortly and let him know.

"You got it," Nick said, pointing an enthusiastic finger before skidding off to the right. Russell continued off to the left and towards his boss's office. This was going to be interesting to say the least.

He found Ecklie sitting on the corner of his desk leafing through a pile of papers. The sheriff looked up, sensing someone enter.

"Can we make this quick?" Russell asked. "I've got a lot to do."

Ecklie worked his tongue between his teeth and held up the papers. "There's a lot of _evidence_ here, yet none of it points to Ronald Basderic or solidly to anyone for that matter."

Russell folded his arms. "Did you send a squad car to Sara's as I asked?" the supervisor tried to avoid Ecklie's observation. Fine, he was right, nothing they had yet could prove Basderic's involvement but they'd find something.

Dropping the papers onto the desk, Ecklie stood. "I did and I also sent an unmarked one to watch over Mr. Basderic."

The senior CSI found his right brow reaching for the ceiling. "You did?" he questioned surprised.

Ecklie nodded.

"I'm surprised you're not afraid he'll accuse us of harassment and sue," Russell continued.

"Well…" Ecklie rounded his desk and slipped into his chair. He entwined his fingers across the table and leaned forwards. "I will claim it was for his own safety if he makes a complaint. Word has it someone might be out to punish him for something, so I just thought I'd offer him a little protection."

Russell gave him a grin.

"Hopefully, he won't know they're there but if he spots them, I can always remove the car if I get too much heat."

"Thanks," Russell replied feeling a little confidence build within him. If they could follow Basderic without him knowing, it may just be a matter of time.

Now Ecklie sighed. "But there's a small immediate problem."

The supervisor unfolded his arms and frowned. "What?"

"The car got there about five minutes ago. They called in to say the place is in total darkness and it looks like there's no one home. Basderic's car isn't there either."

Grinding his teeth together, Russell felt his shoulder's slump. "Great…" he mumbled.

"Well maybe he will come in voluntarily to collect his sister, she's going to be released shortly. We can pick his trace back up then."

"Yeah but what's he doing in the mean time?" Russell griped.

Ecklie reached across his desk and picked up a copy of the note which had come with the DVD. "So what do you make of this ransom? You know we don't negotiate with kidnappers, right?"

"Yeah that's what they said about me," Nick snapped, walking into the office.

Russell spun around and Ecklie looked over as the CSI entered. "We don't pay to get human beings back, right? Because we all know money is much more important than one human life," Nick practically snarled.

"Relax, Nick," the supervisor advised.

"Why?" Nick raised his hands, roughly shrugging his shoulders. "We're not even going to consider that maybe getting that money together could save Grissom?"

Russell shook his head and that surprised the younger CSI. Nick took a step back in disbelief. "I don't think that ransom request is what you think it is. I think it's a ruse to waste more of our time."

"Are you serious?" Nick questioned.

"I'm serious," Russell confidently replied. "Sara was right. This is not about money. And Basderic doesn't exactly need it with the control he has over his sister's assets."

"So the son of a bitch is just tossing out new rules to keep the game going longer," Nick realized.

"Yeah," Russell agreed.

Nick calmed himself and pointed behind him. "Joan Collier is in the interview room ready for you and…" Now the CSI smiled, "..we got something you're gonna wanna hear about."

Russell eye's narrowed at the smirk on his workers face. "What?"

Ecklie stood as Nick pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and showed it both men. "Two prints, thumb and finger, found on the keys to the rental. One of the last things Hodges had to process."

Slowly moving around his desk, Ecklie gawked at Nick. "Would you like to tell us whose?" the sheriff prompted with an arched eyebrow, losing patience with the way Nick was drawing out his mini presentation.

"Joan Collier," Nick replied. "Guess she didn't think about wearing gloves when she collected the keys," He shrugged with a smug smile.

Ecklie and Russell exchanged a glance and Russell smiled. "Everyone needs to get together after I've finished with her so we know exactly where we're at," he said to his boss.

The sheriff nodded. "Go find Gil Grissom," Ecklie encouraged.

Russell returned the nod and quickly left the office along with his CSI.

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Pulling out his cell en route to the interview room, Russell called Greg.

The CSI sat on the sofa, staring at one of Sara's many plants across the room. Man she really liked plants. He made a mental note to buy more foliage. Hearing a distinct ringtone, Greg pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered. "Hey, Russell."

"How's she doing?" Russell asked, side stepping to let a lab worker walk between himself and Nick.

"About as well as you can expect, I guess," Greg replied. "I checked a few minutes ago and I can hear the shower through her door so…"

Russell nodded, trying his best to be empathize with how Sara must be feeling. "Nick sent the video footage to your email. Start watching and see if you can spot anything we might have missed. I'm sure Sara won't mind you using her computer if she knows you're helping but I'd suggest you keep her from watching the recording again."

Pushing himself to his feet, Greg yawned and looked around. The office door was open so getting access to the computer shouldn't be an issue. "Okay, no problem," he replied. "I can't see Sara sleeping all that much and I really don't think she is just going to sit here all day doing nothing to help."

"I'll call back in a little while and speak with her. If she's calmed down enough and I regain a little faith in her, we'll take it from there…"

Greg started towards the office. "Okay. I'll let you know if I spot anything."

Russell closed his phone just as they reached the interview room. Brass waited outside chatting with Finn.

"Are we ready?" the senior CSI asked, approaching his team.

Finn nodded. "Good to go," she announced. "She's got Marshall Smith in there with her now though. Looks like she's ready to fight."

"Oh he is a busy man, isn't he?" Russell said, taking a peek through the glass. "Certainly earning his money today and no doubt it's all coming from the same bank account."

Finn handed him a file and the disc. "Personally I'd call it a conflict of interest," she replied. "How many people connected to the same case can this guy actually represent?"

He took the disc and smiled. "As many as he wants unless one points at the other and he is indeed conflicted. I guess it's a pity for him that we actually have some hard evidence now that will wipe that smirk off his face. I envisage a pay cut on the horizon," he commented with an almost feral grin. Moving to the door, he entered the room. Finn and Brass followed him while Nick watched from the outside.

Russell's smile remained as he pulled back one of two free chairs at the desk and sat opposite Miss Collier just like he had not so long ago. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Joan rolled her eyes, looking to her attorney. "How do you think I'm feeling? I just want to get out of here and go home."

"I'll bet you that's_ exactly_ what Gil Grissom is thinking right now," he shot back. "Just in a much more painful way."

Sitting back Joan swallowed hard. "I've already told you, I had nothing to do with that."

"Really?" Russell questioned.

Joan nodded.

Handing the file to Finn, Russell watched as the female CSI pulled out a photo of the car keys followed by one of the prints. She held up both pictures. "This…" Finn waggled the plastic, "…is a picture of the rental car keys from the vehicle used to kidnap Gil Grissom."

Joan shrugged. "So?"

Now Finn smiled. "Have you seen these keys before?"

Drawling a huff, Joan looked away. "No…"

"Now you're lying…" Finn continued, "…because you see this other photograph here?" She waved the second picture in the air. "This is a picture of your finger prints and _these_ finger prints…_your_ fingerprints, were found upon _this_ set of car keys."

Joan suddenly looked a little paler than she had and her mouth dropped open. "Um…"

"Can you tell me how your finger prints got on the keys, Joan, if you had nothing to do with the rental of that vehicle?" Russell asked. "Or perhaps you can explain how we found Gil Grissom's hair in your SUV at your home?"

The woman deeply frowned. "_My SUV_?" she stuttered.

Russell nodded. "We also have tire tracks matching your vehicle at the scene where the rental was found. _Your SUV_ was used to transport Gil Grissom to wherever he may now be. We can prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in _your_ car."

"No…no…" She shook her head. "I did not kidnap that man…"

"Tell me, Joan…" Russell pushed.

Marshall Smith leaned forwards in his seat and looked a little perplexed. "Joan…" he mumbled.

"I don't know!" she suddenly snapped.

"You don't know?" Brass questioned suddenly getting in on the exchange.

"She shook her head again. "No," she denied. "I have no idea."

Brass worked his tongue into his cheek. Her lies were irritating him and it was all he could do to keep quiet.

"I think you know exactly what happened, how your prints got on those keys and how Grissom's hair got in your SUV," Finn purred, regaining control of the questioning.

"No comment," Joan added. "I'm not saying anything."

Russell could feel his frustration brewing again. They simply didn't have time to mess around like this. "Tell me who put you up to it Joan and like I said, we will help you all we can."

Joan shook her head again, closing her eyes.

"Joan, a man may very well die unless you tell us the truth," Russell tried a softer approach now. "I know you didn't intend this to happen and you probably didn't have a clue what the car was going to be used for, right? I'd bet you didn't even know your SUV was used in this either, did you?"

Her eyes popped open and she stared at him. "This is just insane," she mumbled. "No one is going to die just because you think I might have rented a car. You're trying to trick me," she accused. "I'm not telling you anything."

"Fine," Russell huffed in irritation, handing the disc to brass. "Show Miss Collier just how much we are trying to trick her, would you, Jim?"

Brass hesitated for a second, well aware what was on the disc. "You sure this is a good idea?" he asked.

Joan watched on, her face bearing a mixed look of both nervousness and curiosity.

Russell nodded. "Yeah. I think it's about time she realizes just how serious this is."

"Wait…" Marshall said, holding up a hand. "What are you doing?"

"On that disc is a clip of Gil Grissom we received earlier from an anonymous source along with a ransom note for _$1 million_. I think it would be a good idea for Joan to see exactly what her little act of fraud has gotten her involved with."

"You haven't proven she rented that car yet, Mr. Russell. Prints on keys does not conclusively determine guilt."

Sitting back, Joan pointed to the TV, cutting her attorney short. "Oh just put the damn thing on so we can get on with this," she snapped.

"Okay…" Brass muttered and slipped the disc into the player. He turned away from the screen though, he wasn't quite ready to see that again. Hearing it would be bad enough…

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The water trickled down her face. A hot, almost too hot, powerful spray of liquid pellets belted onto her skin. Closing her eyes, Sara placed her palms flat against the tiles and blew a water filled breath.

She shivered when she felt him, right behind her. His hands softly, deftly skimming over her flesh, small patters from his fingertips sending a glorious shiver up her spine. A devilish smile curled the right hand corner of her mouth when she realized that he truly was there. It wasn't an illusion. She had seen him walk down that trail, silly hat on his head, backpack over his shoulder with an awestruck look upon his face.

He had returned to her. He had left Vegas behind to be with her. Finally.

His hands cupped her breasts and she leaned back into him, a delighted moan passing through her parted lips.

"I've missed you," he whispered, nibbling on her right ear lobe while tweaking a nipple.

Sara felt the heat burning in her thighs as his lips descended upon her throat, masterfully sucking upon every part of her tender flesh. In one swift motion, she pulled away, spinning herself around.

Her arms coiled around his neck, pulling him close. His hands took a prominent hold on her buttocks and their eyes locked. Sara could feel his obvious need for her pressing against her, hot, already so hard. It made her feel so good. His desire for her made her feel like she was immortal.

Skimming her fingertips over his face, she brought her hand to rest against his cheek and there they stood for a few seconds. The water falling over them, her eyes deeply lost in his, his in hers. A raw, lustful stare, a need burning within both for clarification this moment was really happening.

Without another word, or another second lost, their lips collided. So urgently, so desperately, Sara felt her knees buckle. The need…the obvious blatant desire from both of them, for each other crashed over them both in waves.

Sara squealed into his mouth as he managed to lift her and push her solidly against the shower wall. Her feet lowered to the wet tiles as his strong body pinned her against the ceramics.

She managed to pull away from the blisteringly hot kiss unable to hold the chuckle that had built inside her. She giggled. "Have you been working out?" she asked breathlessly, giving him a smug grin.

His right brow inclined, his eyes flowing his left hand as he passed it down over her throat, along her stomach until he reached the delicate area between her thighs.

Sara's breath hitched as cupped her. Slowly his head raised and he leaned into her again, giving her bottom lip and playful bite.

"_What do you think_?" he responded on a graveled sigh as his finger slipped inside her…

Sara's eyes shot open on a gasp and she struggled to focus. Her arms shot out, her hands flattening against the tiled wall surrounding her. Swallowing the heavy lump in her throat she tipped her head back against the shower wall and blew out a heavy breath, allowing the water from above to hit her full on in the face.

She knew sitting down in the shower wasn't the best of ideas even if it was because she'd had a small emotional breakdown.

She'd fallen asleep.

A tear trickled from her left eye, mingling with water bearing down upon her. For a few moments then she truly thought she was with him. That he was safe. That it was the day he had returned to her in Costa Rica. That they were happy. That this nightmare she was living in was not happening.

But it was a just a dream. Remembrance…

Looking at her hands she noticed her fingers were all pale and wrinkly. She must have been asleep for a while. Annoyed and frustrated, Sara pushed her aching body up and turned off the shower. She winced as she stepped from the cubicle and her back clicked. The fatigue was getting to her a lot more than she thought.

She'd had her rest though, even if unintentionally. She grabbed a towel and rushed into the bedroom. Time was wasting away…

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The two CSI's in the room kept their eyes on Joan while she and her lawyer began watching the footage as it rolled. Both suddenly turned a lighter shade of pale as the horrid detail upon the TV began to unfold.

Joan gasped as the spike went in and Grissom screamed. Sharply she turned away and held her hand up, waving it around. "Oh my God, turn it off!" she shouted just as the stun gun came into action.

Marshall looked positively stunned as Brass let it run for a few seconds more before he switched the TV off, the sound of static fizzing from the appliance now the only sound audible throughout the room.

The attorney faced the CSI, clearing his throat. "A little extreme for an interrogation don't you think?" he questioned even if a little shakily.

"No I don't," Russell snapped back, giving Joan his full and undivided attention. He slowly stood and rounded the table to stand by her. She looked up at him, tears of regret in her eyes.

"Tell me, Joan, or that could be the last time we see him alive."

Joan's head began to shake again. "I…can't believe he'd do that," she cried. "How could he do that? He said it was just an exercise. I was just helping him… I… I….It was just supposed to be a test…It was all set up…It was all legal and allowed…"

Russell frowned, looking to both of his co-workers. He had no idea what she was talking about now. "What do you mean a test?" the supervisor quizzed. "What exactly did Ronald Basderic tell you?"

Her head snapped up sharply, her eyes meeting his. "_Ronald_? Ronald didn't tell me to do anything. What does this have to do with him?"

The supervisor's heart skipped a beat, his mouth opening but he hesitated, his jaw rotating from side to side. He took a step back. "He got you to collect the rental…"

"_No he didn't_," she argued. "

"You're lying," Russell alleged.

She took a breath and once again her head shook. "No, _I'm not lying_!" she growled. "I have not seen Ronald since he was incarcerated and he _did not_ ask me to get that rental." She clenched her hands together. "Damn you! Why do I ever deserve to be happy with anyone? Tom asked me, _okay_? _I did it all_ for Tom." She thumped her fists down upon the table. "It was for him. Are you happy now?"

**A/N: Hmmmm…. Interesting? Do the CSI's have another issue? And my, oh my, what is Sara going to do? Thoughts please…. :D Have a great day!**


	24. Waiting for the darkness

**A/N: Yipee, here we go with another chapter :D **

**Will the team finally get a break? Is their key witness actually telling the truth? Will Sara just sit back and do nothing? Hmmm…Evil hat is having a very good time right now.**

**Thank you so much to cropper1818 for the beta. Makes me smile that there wasn't much red pen! Whoooo! **

**Righty, let's see what's going on with poor ole Griss…..**

Chapter 23

The interview room fell deathly silent.

Russell could feel the pulse in his temple throbbing.

Finn and Brass seemed positively speechless just like the supervisor did.

Nick, on the outside of the room couldn't quite believe what he was hearing either and he frowned as Ecklie stepped up behind him. The sheriff, without saying a word, stared through the glass and listened.

"Say that again," Finn requested quietly as her boss just stared at the suspect unable to form an immediate response.

Russell looked to both his colleagues and stepped away from Joan, rubbing a hand over his chin as questions flooded his mind. Basderic wasn't the one who took out the rental? Was Joan telling the truth? Could she be trusted? Turning and leaning against the wall, with his hand flat above his head, he tried to think.

"Joan, explain and do it very quickly," Finn advised, noticing her supervisor seemed to be struggling to compute the information which had just been given to him.

The suspect looked to her attorney and Marshall simply shrugged. "You basically just admitted your guilt so, you might be able to deal if you tell them the truth but that's the last piece of advice I can give you..."

"What do mean?"

"What you have just revealed? Well, as the attorney of record for Mr. Draper, I now officially have a conflict of interest. I will no longer be able to represent you."

Now Joan looked lost.

"We will get you a new attorney, Joan," Finn soothed in an attempt to keep the conversation going. "The more helpful you are to us, _right now_, the more we can help you. We need to know _absolutely everything_ that you know but as you have seen, we don't have much time so we need to know it_ now_. Do you understand?"

Joan held her face in her hands. "Tom asked me to rent the car." She sucked in a breath and flattened her hands to the table. "He does a little private work for a freelance security company. He's always out for every buck he can make. Tom said they received a new contract to test certain company's security and code of practice. He said the owners of the rental company had hired him to test their staff to see if they could spot a car thief. A fraudster… They had concerns about their employees' capabilities of checking identification properly after several cars went missing." Swallowing hard, she looked around. "Can I have some water?"

Russell pushed himself straight, folding his arms. "When you've finished telling us. Keep going…"

Joan swallowed and cleared her throat. "He said it was just a test and his job was to trick the staff into accepting false paperwork in order to gain access to a rental by any means he saw fit. As long as it was safe. He asked me to help him since his plan would seem less suspicious if a woman was making the actual rental. It sounded like fun so I agreed and if I got caught, no harm done. It would just prove the staff was doing their jobs properly. _It was all a set up_…" She looked to Brass and Finn before resting her stare upon Russell. "I had _no idea_ I _was_ actually impersonating one of you. _A real person_. I didn't know those documents were stolen, I swear."

"You expect us to believe that?" Brass sniped.

"It's the truth!" she spat. "He's my boyfriend…" She lowered her head. "Was…Is…_I don't_ know…" she muttered. "I trusted him…_I love him_…I can't believe he would do that."

Looking around to his colleagues, Russell gave a heavy sigh. He slipped back into his chair and leaned onto the desk. "Do you have _any_ idea where Gil Grissom could be?"

"No," Joan responded quickly. "And that really _is_ the truth. I rented the car but that's it. I gave the keys to Tom outside the rental place and got a cab home. I told him to hurry up before I left or he would end up being late for work at the airport. He really was cutting the timing very fine. I got home, checked on Emily, made sure she had everything she needed for the day and went to my friend's place. I was back at the estate barely an hour before I left."

Russell pouted, still trying to take all this in and deciding whether or not she was telling the truth. "Why didn't you drive home?" he questioned. "Where was your SUV at this time?"

"Tom had taken my truck into the shop, well, he said he had. He said the clutch was sticking. I didn't even know he'd taken it back to the ranch. We got a cab to the rental place." She frowned. "How do you know he was the one that took my car back?" She pointed to the TV. "How do you even know that man on the recording is him?"

"Didn't you notice anyone bring it back?" Finn argued, ignoring Joan's questions.

Joan glared at the CSI. "Like I said…I _wasn't_ there and just because you are saying that your man was in my SUV, that doesn't mean he was taken back to the estate. _Or_ that Tom was the one who took him. You see…_you're tricking me again_…"

"She's got a point there," Marshall added his two cents without even thinking about it.

Brass glared at him. "I thought you'd recused yourself."

Marshall gave a false smile. "Just thinking out loud Mr. Brass, just thinking out loud…"

Brass backed to the door and opened it. "How about you think aloud outside? Last thing we would want to do is influence your thoughts in regards to any of your other clients…"

Looking unimpressed, Marshall grabbed his briefcase from the floor and stood. He gave Joan half a smile. "Good luck," he said. He headed to the door and Brass closed it the second the attorney was out of the room.

Marshall spotted Ecklie and went right up to the sheriff. "I think it's about time we expedited Emily's release, don't you?" the younger man stated.

Ecklie looked to his CSI and Nick simply shrugged.

"Or would you like me to call the DA?" Marshall asked.

"Fine," Ecklie griped. "Nick…"

Nick looked to his superior.

"Get Russell to call me the second he's done in there. I need every detail of what's happening next. You got that?"

"Sure," Nick responded, giving a nod.

Ecklie didn't look amused as he stepped away with the attorney.

Back in the room, Joan looked as equally unhappy. "You can't prove Tom kidnapped that man, can you?"

Taking off his glasses, Russell wiped them on his shirt. "I didn't say he did, or that he is the man in the video. Our number one priority, right now, is finding Gil Grissom and determining whether your boyfriend can help us locate him." He slipped his glasses back on. "He's _already_ wasted our time by denying involvement so now we have to go and find him again. And that doesn't make me, or _any_ of my team very happy." He gathered the evidence from the table. "_All this_," he said with a nod towards the files and photos in his hands "…and your statement, proves he _is_ involved in this kidnapping one way or another _and_ he has dragged _you_ into one hell of a huge mess. So if there is something, _anything_, you are not telling me, you need to tell me _now_ because I'm wasting precious seconds sitting here with you and I _really_ am losing my patience."

Joan thought for a second. "Can you _really_ help get me out of this?" she asked, looking to everyone again.

Brass stepped forwards and leaned over the desk. "If we find Grissom, and we find him alive, _maybe_. If not…" He pushed himself back up and gave her a very firm look. "You will be looking at accessory to murder."

Sucking in a deep breath, Joan slumped back. "You seem to think Ronald is involved in this right?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit now.

Russell's eyes narrowed. "Yes, we do."

"Well…" She fiddled with the hooped earring in her right ear, "…Tom mentioned he was meeting up with Ronald yesterday. He was happy his friend had been released. Personally?" She held her hand to her chest now, "…I know he's Emily's brother and all but I never particularly cared for Ronald. The guy always creeped me out with his little secret room and, ugh, the way he always used to stare at me? I often thought that he really needed to find someone and get laid."

"Tom was going to meet up with him?" Russell asked, wanting clarification.

Joan shrugged. "That's what he said."

"When and where?" Finn asked.

"I don't know," Joan replied. "I'd already hassled him about being late for work so I assumed it would be after his shift. I left him when I said I left him, so I honestly don't know if the two ever met up or not."

Russell checked his watch. He knew time was ticking away. "Do you know of any hidden places around the ranch? Secret buildings or rooms, anywhere underground or enclosed that could hide someone?" He gave Joan his most serious of looks now.

She shook her head. "No. But I can't say I've ever really looked." Now she frowned. "You think that man is being tortured on the estate?"

The supervisor gave a nod.

"_How do you know that_? It would be a bit of a risk with Emily being there all the time don't you think? As well as me. I'm there almost seven days a week. And there are cameras everywhere…"

"The CCTV footage was wiped," Russell informed her.

"Oh…" she stuttered. "Still, isn't it possible he could be somewhere else? I mean…" she breathed a heavy sigh, "…just because you say he was in my SUV and that happens to be back at the ranch, doesn't mean he's there as well. If he'd already been swapped into one car, what's to stop him being swapped into another? Or…dumped off before the truck was taken back?"

Russell looked to Finn. "Possible," she said. "_But using another car_…probably not likely. Enough risk had already been taken."

"Well, if you found my car that means you've already been to the estate. Did you find anything? Or any trace that might lead you to him?"

"No," Russell answered. "We know he was in your car and we have evidence linking him and the estate to the rental."

"Then maybe he _is_ somewhere else…" Joan pushed.

She didn't receive inspiring looks in return to her comments.

"Hey look, you asked me for my help and I'm trying here." She suddenly laughed. "Maybe Tom has him stashed in his garage or something."

Brass suddenly looked like he'd been kicked in the face and instantly shot a glance to the CSI supervisor.

"Oh, no…I was just kidding," Joan said immediately. "Just trying to lighten the mood and get rid of this horrible sick feeling in my stomach."

"She could be right," Brass said. "We haven't checked Draper's yet…"

Russell didn't think Gil was stashed in the garage but he knew they had to get Draper back in and there may be a slight chance they could find something leading to Grissom at his home. He quickly stood, keeping his eyes on Brass. "Take her away and then we need to get over to Draper's. I'll go get a warrant."

Brass nodded and moved to Joan, taking her arm and pulling her up.

"What's going to happen to me now?" she asked, very worried.

Picking up his files, Russell sighed and spoke gently. He could not afford to anger or alienate Joan at this point. "You will be held here until charges are filed. What charges we file will depend on how this all works out. We may need to talk to you again so just make sure you are willing to give us everything that we need. You got that?"

She nodded. "I really didn't know anything about that kidnapping, I swear."

Russell nodded. He did actually believe her.

Brass escorted Joan from the room and Russell and Finn followed him out.

"Think she's telling the truth?" Finn asked as Nick joined them.

"Oddly, yes," he replied. "She helped get the rental, but I think that's all she did."

Nick rubbed the growing stubble on his chin. "Ecklie wants to talk to you," the Texan informed his boss. "I think they are releasing Emily."

Russell gave his subordinate a nod. "Both of you meet me at the car in ten. We need to pay a visit to Mr. Draper."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara changed, pulling on a pair of grey sweat pants, reaching back into the wardrobe for one of Grissom's sweatshirts. She pulled out a Cubs top and stared at it. A tiny smile curled the left side of her mouth as memories flooded over her. She held the shirt to her nose and inhaled. Even though it had been washed it still housed tiny traces of his scent. God, she missed him so much.

On a sigh, she pulled the top over her head and somberly left the bedroom. She frowned when she entered the living room to find it empty, the kitchen also. She expected to find Greg lounging on her sofa since he had been assigned to watch over her. She had just retraced her steps from the kitchen into the living room when she heard it. The scream…her husband's scream.

Her gut pinched as she noted the office light on and she slowly moved towards the room. Upon reaching the half open door, she pushed it open to see Greg sitting at her computer.

"What are you doing?"

Greg's head snapped around and he instantly fumbled to pause the recording the second her saw her. He stood, nervously wiping his sweaty palms on his thighs as she strode in to the office.

"Oh…I…" He looked back to the PC, trying to block the screen with his body.

She reached out to place a hand on his shoulder and moved him out of the way, swallowing hard when she saw the image on the screen.

He sighed nervously and looked at her. "Russell sent it over so I could help. Not much point me sitting here doing nothing. I didn't think you'd mind me using the computer…" He tried to sound enthusiastic, attempting to take her mind from what he was actually watching. "I was going to make notes…" He picked up a pencil from the desk. "But I couldn't find any paper." He shrugged tensely.

Wrapping her hands around her mid-section, Sara nodded back towards the computer. "There's paper in the printer tray."

"No there isn't," he replied. "I already looked. It's empty."

Sara's brow pinched firmly. "That's not right," she muttered, stepping towards the printer. "I specifically recall filling up the tray. I used my last pack of paper…" She pulled open the drawer to the appliance, taking a step back when she saw the tray was indeed empty. "I don't understand," she said, shaking her head negatively. "_I filled that up_."

"When?" Greg asked, not sure of the importance in this.

After thinking for a second Sara's eyes widened with realization. "Just before Wynard…" she mumbled. "_Son of a bitch_…."

Now Greg frowned. "What?"

"_That's how he got my print_. The bastard took my paper the last time he was here. I haven't used the printer since before that all happened and I specifically remember using the last of my paper. I was going to print some pictures off I'd had sent down from San Francisco a week or so before all that happened with Basderic but I got sidetracked…"

Greg just starred at her dumbly. "I don't understand…."

She sighed and picked up a book from the desk. "Pretend this is paper you are about to load into the printer."

He looked down at her hand and the book, her thumb sat neatly on the top page, her fingers underneath.

"How am I holding this?" She raised her hand a little bit.

Greg just shrugged.

"_Thumb on top, Greg_," she pushed. "Hodges pulled my print from the divorce paper. My _thumb print_. Basderic took my paper. He was just lucky enough to get the top piece with my print on."

"Oh I see," Greg finally understood. "But I don't quite get why he would take paper. Seems a bit…_weird_."

Sara threw the book down. "Who knows how he thinks? He's clever. He may have realized the odds of getting my prints from the paper were reasonable." She looked up to the ceiling. "I can't even imagine how long he's been working this out or what else he's got planned."

Feeling a gentle pressure on her arm, she looked down and into Greg's eyes as he moved close to her. "Hopefully, we can catch him before any more damage is done."

Sara sidestepped him, not really believing his hope and looked to the PC screen. Her throat became incredibly dry as her eyes once again passed over her battered husband. "Have you found anything yet?" she asked on bare whisper.

He turned to her. "Not yet," he admitted. "But I haven't been looking long."

She took a breath and clenched her fingers tightly together. "I'll help you."

Greg shook his head. "I don't think that's such a good idea and…" He was interrupted by the sound of his cell. "Hold on…" he requested, grabbing his phone from the desk to answer the call."

"Hello…"

"It's me," Russell announced. "We have…a development…"

Greg's brow pinched and Sara sensed something.

"What?" the young CSI asked his boss.

"Is Sara with you?"

"Um…" Greg hesitated but answered. "Yeah…"

"Put me on speaker," Russell requested. "She needs to hear this too…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Grissom had been floating in and out of consciousness for a while. He had concluded that he had two ways of waking. Either very slowly, the pain nipping his sleep and pulling him from the darkness with a silent groan. Or, very swiftly, where the agony of his hands would rip at his core and startle him awake, his breath coming in short, haggard, spurts, his eyes struggling to open through the watery tears sprinkling down his cheeks. He wasn't entirely sure which way he preferred.

Neither, would have been much nicer.

He'd always been a strong man, determined. Willing to attempt the overcoming of any obstacle. But this was different. For the first time in his life, he actually felt totally crushed. Yes, he'd come across some horrendous situation's, some, unthinkable circumstances but he always had some level of control. He always had options.

Now, he had none. He had, nothing. He was helpless. Just crucified to a chair, waiting… Just waiting to see what form of madness would come next.

He'd initially had faith in the team, especially as Sara was part of them. But in the time he'd been incarcerated he'd come to realize exactly how devious the man holding him actually was. The former CSI feared his captor was just too clever…

Grissom's head lolled from side to side. The lightheadedness coming and going. He felt so weak when it came, his whole body just wanting to flop. When the spell past, he attempted to hold up his head, just long enough to brave another look at his hands. His injured eye was almost totally closed now but he could make out enough to realize this was going to take a hell of a lot more than stiches and a band aid to fix. If it could be fixed. Hard metal shattered through fragile flesh and bone was not a good combination. Never mind the superglue that was currently eating into his open wounds.

He sucked in a sob, tipping his head back against the chair just waiting for the darkness to return…

**A/N: Hmmm…. So… What will come next? Brain needs to start functioning, so much to bring together… Please reviews with your thoughts. Thanks! **


	25. Something didn't feel right

**A/N: Finally I manage to get another chapter done. Sorry for the delay. Apart from melting in the heat wave I'm trying to get organized for my trip to Chicago next week. Sqweeee :) I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Sara's about to show that no one tells her what to do, lol.**

**Thanks for all the great reviews and feedback. More please? :) They make me happy. **

**No beta, any mistakes are the hats fault. He's been really plotting lately. Ha! Enjoy!**

Chapter 24

Greg placed his cell on the computer desk and flicked the speaker on. Sara's brow pinched as she shot him a glance of confusion and he just shrugged his shoulders. He was as wise to the reason as she was.

"Can you hear me?" Russell asked.

"Yeah," Greg answered.

"How are you feeling, Sara?" the supervisor asked. "Did you get some sleep?"

Sara's eyes narrowed and she glared down at the cell. "Are my nocturnal activities really that important to you right now?" Her response was tense and bitter.

They heard Russell sigh. "I'm thinking of your wellbeing, Sara, nothing less."

"No…" Sara argued. "If you cared about how I felt, you wouldn't have taken me off the damn case!"

"Look…I don't have time to argue with you. I have some news I thought you needed to hear."

Now Sara's entire posture tensed and Greg moved just a little closer towards her when she looked at him, fear in her eyes.

"What's going on?" she demanded, taking a step closer to the phone.

"We talked to Joan Collier, she admitted she took out the rental and she told us who it was for. We're on the way to his place now."

Sara's lips parted as she sought some form of reply. Her eyes blinking over and over, her brain refusing to think. "Um…" She shook her head. They finally had a breakthrough? A real breakthrough? "She fingered Basderic?"

Both CSI's heard the supervisor clear his throat. "No," he said flatly. "She said she did it for Tom Draper. He was the one who got her to use your false papers in order to get the car."

Sara laughed. "You're kidding right?"

"I wouldn't joke at a time like this, Sara, and I know this probably isn't what you wanted to hear but…"

Her nose curled. "She's lying," she spat, thrusting a finger through the air. "Basderic is the one behind this. _He_ has my husband…_he's_ hurting my husband. _I know it and you know it_."

"I'm following the evidence right now. It's what I have to do…"

She ran both her hands through her hair, keeping them poised on the top of her head. She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. "It can't be him…"

"Sara, listen…I'm not pushing Basderic aside and this lead may well verify his involvement," Russell continued.

"Tom could have been doing what Basderic told him too," Greg gave his thoughts. "Friends do things for each other…" He attempted to give Sara a smile but she didn't bite.

"Already considered that and were on our way right now to pick Draper up, search his place and find out exactly what contact he's had with Basderic since he was released. We already know he's lied to us. I'm not prepared to let that happen again."

Lowering her hands, Sara slowly slid into a chair by the desk and began rocking back and forth while she thought. She had no doubt that Basderic was the mastermind behind this. After all, he'd pretty much admitted that to her…taunted her and she could see it in his eyes. Those sinister, hateful eyes.

Just how much could Tom Draper actually give them or were they just wasting more precious time? The quicker they found out, the better. "How long till you get there?" she asked. "Where does he live?"

"Seven Hills," the supervisor informed her.

Sara's eyes widened. "That's not far from here. We're closer than you are so we could get there faster than…"

"Not a chance," Russell cut her short. "You're not going anywhere near this." His tone grew serious.

Shaking her head, Sara slowly pushed herself back to her feet. "Are you going to stop me?" she growled and Greg instantly swallowed. Sara could probably knock him on his ass if she wanted to.

"Don't be stupid, Sara," Russell recommended. "Right now, you need to get your head sorted before I'm going to consider trusting you again. Do you understand?"

She snorted. "You can't tell me what to do anymore right? I'm going…"

Greg shook his head now but just as Sara was about to move, the supervisor continued with his advice.

"There is a squad car outside," he told her. "They are watching the house and they are watching _you_. I will have them bring you in if you try and leave the house before I say so."

Now her mouth fell open and she deeply frowned. Stomping to the window she pulled back the drapes and squinted through the darkness. Low and behold, out on the street, was a squad car. She did not look amused and her nostrils flared with anger. "You can't do that!" she shouted, spinning back around to glare at the phone and then her friend who took a fearful step back.

"Yes I can," Russell replied. "_Now,_ do you understand?"

Oh, Sara was listening alright but she totally ignored what he was saying. She didn't want to hear another word, instead she hot footed it towards the door and vanished through it.

"Sara…" Greg mumbled.

"What's happening?" Russell asked.

"Shit!" Greg groaned and ran after his friend unable to stay and answer Russell's question for fear of Sara breaking away.

Sara grabbed her spare gun from her locked box and ran for the front door.

"Wait!" Greg hollered catching up to her just as she got the door open.

She ignored him and was out the door in a flash. "He'll have to be quick if he's going to tell them to get me in time," Sara called back to Greg as she ran to her car on the driveway. "I'm not sitting here doing nothing…"

Greg dashed after her, grabbing her arm just as she disabled the alarm. He looked over to the squad car as one of the doors opened. "They know, Sara…" he warned.

She gave him a dry smirk, opened the door and leapt into the driver's seat. "They're still not going to stop me. Now you either stand there and gawk or you get in. But if you're coming, you have five seconds…" She leaned out of the door, noticing the two male officers coming their way.

Rolling his eyes Greg couldn't believe he was about to do this but he wasn't about to let her go alone. He ran around the car and jumped into the passenger side.

"Sidle!" one of the officers shouted but he was too late. Sara slammed her door closed, started the engine, pumped it into reverse and hit the gas before they could get close enough to try and stop her.

As Sara's car screeched into the road, both cops ran back to their vehicle and leapt inside. One grabbed the radio, calling through to Brass to inform him what was happening, watching as her car vanished into the next street…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell almost chewed his tongue off as he listened to the radio call. "She's going to get herself into a hell of a lot of trouble," he griped.

"She's hurting, Russell," Brass mumbled, giving the supervisor a quick flash of his eyes before concentrating back on the road. "And Sara isn't one for being forced into anything, especially trying to keep her a prisoner in her own house when her husband is missing."

"I thought she might have cooled down given a little time."

Brass puckered his lips. "But she knows how precious little time there is left. So, maybe not the best plan."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Russell attempted to battle the stinging in his head. Not only caused by stress, but the tiredness was now creeping up on him. "I just hope if she does manage to get to Drapers…she doesn't try and shoot him like she did Basderic. That's not really going to help us, is it?"

"Sara isn't a killer," Brass said, looking to his colleague. "She's a fighter, but she's not a killer."

Russell blew out a needy breath of frustration. He nodded, and chewed down on his lip. Desperate people do desperate things, he just hoped Brass was right.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara's eyes were fixed to the white lines zooming by them. Her foot was flat to the gas and she broke every speed limit known in Nevada. "Call Morgan, Greg. Get me Draper's address."

Shaking his head, Greg ensured his safety belt was on tight, tugging on it. "No way. Do you have any idea how much trouble you're going to be in? How much trouble you could get _me_ in? And you need to slow down…I'm flying by the set of my pants here."

She took her eyes from the road to look at him, her eyes now battling the threat of tears. "Please…"

A lump formed in the male CSI's throat. Her eyes held so much pain, so much fear.

"If Tom Draper is involved and he gets away because we don't get there in time, Gil could die. Every second counts, Greg. Why do you think I'm doing this?"

His mouth opened but he failed to find an answer.

She looked back to the road, knowing they weren't far from the area. "It's not because I'm stubborn, or I like defying orders. It's because my husband is in the hands of a psychopath, bleeding…" She tried to catch her breath as a sob caught in her throat. "Dying, Greg… and I can't just sit there and let…." She sniffed hard. "Help me…" she begged.

Greg puffed out his cheeks, yanking his cell from his pocket. He really hoped he wasn't going to regret this. He pulled up Morgan's number and hit call…

Sara clenched the wheel tighter as she listened to Greg chat with Morgan. It wasn't a long call and he was speedy in getting the information they needed. He placed his cell back in his pocket after ending the call and glanced at his friend. She looked back at him.

"Did you get it?" Sara asked.

"If I get fired for this…" he began, "…I'm taking your spare room."

She tried to smile but it didn't quite happen. "So?" she pushed.

"_116_ Lakeside view," he told her.

Sara gave him a swift nod and turned right at the next intersection, checking the mirror to see if the squad car had caught up to her. It had not. "Only a few minutes away," she mumbled, feeling her heart suddenly strumming a little faster than it had been…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Basderic strolled into PD with an air of cockiness surrounding him. Another issue had been sorted and he'd left an interesting scene for his hunters to find. And he knew it wouldn't be long before they would be knocking on Tom Drapers door again especially if Joan had decided to spill.

He'd not so long ago received a call from his attorney informing him his sister was being released.

So he'd gone to collect her keen to get her back into a comforting environment.

Ideally, he wanted to get back to Grissom. He still had so much he wanted to explain to his captive. He liked to explain his motives if there were unthreatening ears to listen. A man proud of planning and achieving, that's what he was. And, most of the time, he got what he wanted being a very determined person and all. But the investigators could be anywhere on the estate now and the risk was too high for him to sneak back in. He needed them gone. His plan could not be completed if he couldn't get access to his little hideaway. Unseen…uninterrupted…

It was time to make a few things very clear.

He met Marshall in the waiting area, keen to have a chat and catch up on any _developments_.

The attorney, who was sat drinking a coffee from a paper cup, watched his client through the glass and stood upon his entry to the room.

"Where is she?" Basderic asked immediately.

"She'll be here shortly," Marshall informed him. "She's just using the bathroom."

Basderic looked around, spying at the workers through the glass. "Is she alright?"

Marshall placed his cup on his seat and offered a confident nod. "She's fine. Supervisor Russell decided he'd make a game out of placing her in a cell. I think she is still waiting for her Prince to arrive."

Basderic didn't look all that impressed his sister had been put into a cell. "What's happening with Joan?" he asked, knowing he still had important things to find out. Things that may well affect him.

"She's been arrested," the attorney, replied, reaching for his briefcase to slip some papers back inside.

Working his jaw, Basderic narrowed his eyes. "Why? What has she said?"

Marshall gave his client an all too knowing glance. "I don't think our current location is the best place to be discussing this, given the ears and eyes around us. I'd suggest we have a conversation after we have left, in a more private location."

"Okay," Basderic agreed, giving a nod. He was keen for information but if he had been put in the immediate firing line, he would have already known about it. So he could wait, just a little while longer. And the fact that they still had nothing on him, was just what he needed to get them off Emily's property.

Ecklie entered, along with Morgan who was escorting Emily.

The young woman smiled the second she saw her brother but the Sheriff and CSI didn't smile upon seeing Basderic. Father and daughter exchanged a disgruntled glance as Emily approached her brother and yawned. "Can we go home now, Ronald? It's been fun but I'm really tired and I don't want to play anymore…"

Basderic held a gentle hand to his sister's cheek. A show of affection which surprised the law enforcement in the room. He just didn't come across as a loving kinda guy. "Sure we can," he replied. "But first, I just need a quick chat with Mr. Ecklie."

Ecklie's right brow hitched as Basderic sidestepped his sibling and approached him. "Could you take Emily to my car and wait for me there?" Basderic asked Morgan. "I think it the least you can do considering what you have put us both through in the last day."

Morgan's brow pinched and she looked to her father. He looked frustrated but he simply nodded. "Just do it," he mumbled.

Shrugging her shoulder's Morgan asked Emily to follow her and the younger woman did so. "Please don't be long, Ronald…" Emily asked of her brother.

"I won't," he said back.

Once Emily was out of sight, Basderic gave Ecklie his full and undivided attention. "I want your people off Emily's land," he demanded.

Ecklie smirked. "They haven't finished yet, Mr. Basderic. We need daylight in order to finish our search properly and thoroughly."

"Tell me…" Basderic folded his arms, "…exactly what evidence do you have proving my involvement in this, or my sisters? Or do you have anything to prove that your missing man is on my sister's property?"

"I'm not about to discuss that with you," the sheriff replied.

"Well you had better get ready to," Basderic argued. "Because here's the deal." He leaned towards the lawman. "I now have to take my sister to my home. A place she isn't too familiar with, a place which she won't feel safe in. An environment that could very well induce a seizure. She _needs_ her security and she _needs_ her own home. Whatever evidence you have proving that Gil Grissom is on her property better damn well stick and you better make it happen soon. You've got till _10am_ until I start legal action. That will give you a good 4 hours of daylight. And I will take this damn department for every penny it has if you are not off the land by then. _Unless_…you have some _evidence_, of course."

Ecklie took a step back, not looking impressed at the threat.

"You're lucky I haven't already pressed charges against your so called CSI for attempted murder. So I am just about reaching the end of my patience."

"What?" Ecklie questioned.

Basderic smiled. "Oh, yeah. I'm sure you haven't been informed about Sara's little shoot out at my home. Not surprising considering your own guys covered it up."

Now the sheriff looked baffled.

Basderic kinked his head to his attorney. "Let's get out of here."

Marshall nodded, grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door.

"I would suggest you ask your supervisor about how he handles his staff when they assault members of the public," Basderic finished on, before following his attorney through the door.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara hit the break, pulling her car to a rough stop on the road outside of Tom Drapers house. She was quick to exit the vehicle, Greg struggling to keep up with her and she drew her gun as she rushed up Drapers driveway.

Greg caught up and stopped her with a tug on her jacket. "Hold on, Sara," he requested.

She turned to face him.

"You know maybe we should just wait for Russell." He pointed to the house. "I can see lights on, so I'd guess he's home. I don't think it's such a good idea for you to…"

Working her jaw, Sara pulled herself free. "You can stand here and wait for Russell if you want, but I'm going in there. I don't want to get you in trouble, Greg. So do what you want. I won't hold it against you."

He sighed, looking behind him, his glance shifting up and down the quiet street. "Fine," he grumbled, pulling out his own weapon. He really wasn't a gun fan. "Promise me you won't…"

"Whatever it takes to find Gil, Greg. So I don't think killing a key witness is really on the agenda, is it?"

He nodded towards the house. "Okay…let's go."

She gave him a nod, turning on her heels to approach the door. They both eyed the entrance once they reached it and Sara tried the handle. The door was locked.

Huffing under her breath Sara sidestepped to the large front window, attempting to peek through a tiny gap in the drapes but she couldn't really see anything.

"Maybe we should just knock," Greg suggested, watching her as she looked around.

She frowned at him. "He knows his girlfriend is being held and questioned in regards to the kidnapping and torture of a former law enforcement officer, Greg. And I'm sure he's worked out he's probably in deep shit if she runs her mouth. If he is the one behind all this, which I doubt…but, he's not about to just let us in, is he?"

The young CSI shrugged. "He might and…like you said, we don't think he's the mastermind behind this. Plus, we don't have the authorization to go in there without trying to ask first. We don't have the warrant. If he doesn't answer, then, we'll do it your way."

A throaty growl slipped from her lips and Sara moved back to the door. "Fine!" She raised her hand and banged hard on the door. Harder than Greg expected and he looked around, remembering what time it was. At this rate they would end up causing one hell of a scene and probably waking a lot of angry neighbors.

They waited but no response came so Sara banged again. Still nothing.

She turned back to her co-worker. "Well, he's either deaf or a very heavy sleeper," Sara said sarcastically.

"For all we know, he's not even here…" he replied.

Rolling her eyes, Sara rounded him. "Let's try the back," she suggested, sticking close to the building and moving off to the left. They found the garage and it was open. Sara's eyes narrowed as she looked inside. The garage was dark but she could see light towards the back.

Gesturing into the outbuilding with a flick of her head, she stepped forwards and her colleague followed, ensuring he kept checking behind them as they moved. He really didn't like surprise entrances.

"I wonder why the garage is open," he whispered.

Sara just shook her head. "I don't know," she said back, her fingers tightening on her weapon as they reached the back of the garage and the door leading into the house. No, she didn't know but something didn't feel right.

She placed her finger to her lips then coiled her hand around the handle, pushing down.

Her heart skipped a beat when there was a click and the door creaked. She swallowed, giving her coworker a quick look before slowly pushing the door open.

They slowly entered the kitchen, Greg sticking to Sara as closely as he could. Sara had her weapon raised, ready, just in case. But the room was empty. She looked around, noting her surroundings were pretty clean and tidy. No used dishes, no mess on the sideboard. She spotted a single glass by the sink, upside down on the draining board. Obviously it had been used and cleaned. "Well, Mr. Draper is either very clean, or he hasn't done much since he got home," she said quietly.

Greg spotted a trash can by the sink area and he stepped away to have a quick look. "Garbage is empty too," he said, looking back to his co-worker. "Bit of an odd time to have taken out the trash. Unless he's a clean freak."

Sara felt her right eye twitch. "Something feels off here," she informed him.

"What like the entire day you mean?" he asked, returning to her side.

She gave him a dry stare and pointed towards an open door at the other side of the room. He nodded and followed her towards it and they cautiously moved from the kitchen and into what they deduced was the living room. Stepping into the reasonably large space they assessed the area.

The front door was across the room, dead ahead of them. Off to their left was a corridor, probably leading to other rooms of some description. A three piece suite, coffee table and TV off to their right. The coffee table immediately caught Sara's eye.

But, she waited to advance and decided to give their suspect the chance to show himself. "Tom Draper?" she called. "This is the LVPD Crime Lab, can you come out please…" She held her weapon aloft, looking in every direction, unaware of which way he could appear from.

There was no response and the two CSI's exchanged an uncertain look.

"Maybe he isn't here," Greg suggested.

"Mr. Draper?" Sara tried again, stepping further into the room now.

Still nothing.

She sighed, lowering her weapon as she approached the coffee table and glanced at the items which lay upon it. A glass, containing the tiny remains of what she presumed was alcohol and a small clear packet with a few small white capsules inside.

"Think we may have some heavy duty drugs here," she muttered.

"We need to clear the house," Greg informed her, still looking around. "He might be hiding."

"In a second," she replied. "I certainly don't think these are aspirin," she continued, taking a handkerchief from her pocket and picking up the bag to get a better look.

"Oh boy," Greg mumbled, looking over his shoulder after sensing a presence.

"Hold it, right there, you two!" an empowering voice shouted from behind.

**A/N: O ooo, you're in trouble…. Hehehehehe. Now what? **


	26. And still there was nothing

**A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack. Whooo. Back in England, awesome jet lag, so I thought I'd post. Lol. Had an amazing time in Chicago and blessed to have met William Petersen backstage. An Amazing man!**

**But now back to reality, kind of, HA! Or as close to that as I get while writing this story. Time for another spanner in the works :) Evil hat wasn't happy he had to stay home so he's getting his own back. **

**Thanks so much to Calim11 for the beta. It's nice to have someone back on board to help with my errors. **

**So let's see what's going down… **

Chapter 25

The house fell silent as Sara and Greg gawked at the two cops now standing in the kitchen doorway. One jabbed a threatening finger in their direction as he drew closer.

"Put the weapon away, Sara, now!" he demanded.

A golf ball formed in Sara's throat and she took a step back. "We're just looking for the suspect," she replied, holding out her free hand. "We're all on the same side, remember?"

"_I said now_…" The two men closed in on the CSI's and Sara's shoulders dropped in defeat.

"Okay…" she grumbled, begrudgingly placing her weapon into her jacket before firmly folding her arms across her chest. Greg also put his gun away but he was keener to do so.

The lead officer glared at her. "Not a very smart thing to run like that," he protested. "Don't you realize Russell is only interested in what's best for you?"

"_My husband_ is the only interest I have right now, Barry," she shot back. "And Russell has no right, no _right at all_ to tell me I can't try and find him."

The cop sighed. "I have to take you back," he said. "Those are my orders."

Sara shook her head, retreating a few more paces away from the law enforcement officers. "No way. Not until I get some answers."

"Something's going on here," Greg said. "I can feel it."

Slipping two thumbs into his belt, Barry looked at his partner and worked his tongue into his cheek.But, a hard knock at the front door ceased the conversation from going any further.

"LVPD!" Brass shouted. "Open the door!"

Barry smiled. "You stay put," he ordered the two CSI's as he skimmed across the room to let in his Captain.

Sara puffed out a breath, nibbling on the skin of her thumb. She watched as the cop took a handkerchief from his pocket to preserve any prints that may be on the key in the door. He twisted the key and pulled the door open. There was a quick conversation before Barry sidestepped and Brass walked in along with Russell, Nick and Finn.

The group stared at Sara for a second before a very unimpressed looking Russell approached her.

"Just save it, Russell, okay?" she requested before he even got a word in.

The veins on the supervisor's neck tensed and he gave Greg a look of disappointment. The younger CSI looked away, feeling his boss's discontent.

"_We will_ talk about this later," Russell stated. "Is Draper here?"

Sara looked surprised he wasn't chewing her down. However, she knew it would come. "We've barely just arrived and haven't had time to look yet."

Russell licked his bottom lip, glancing around. "Entering a property without the proper warrant isn't the smartest move though is it?" He turned back to Sara, his eyes burning through her. "I thought you would have learnt that after last time."

She looked away for a second to each of her colleagues who watched the confrontation. Everyone looked a little tense.

Giving Russell her utmost look of discontent, she unfolded her arms, placing her hands on her hips. "I am not going to sit on my ass while my husband is still out there and _with or without_ your help, I'm going to continue to look for him."

Russell ground his teeth together, his eyes once again glancing around the room. "I want this house checking from top to bottom. Right now," he ordered. "You two take the back if you please," he directed the officers, pointing to the corridor. "Jim, Nick, upstairs with me. Finn, look around in here and Greg check outside."

"What about me?" Sara asked. "I need to do something…"

"_You_…" Russell pointed a forceful finger at her, "…are going to stay right here. You move from this room, I _will_ have you in cuffs."

Sara gawped at him, unimpressed but he didn't offer her another word. He moved away and the people surrounding him did as asked. Nick gave Greg a kit and he vanished through the front door, offering Sara a sympathetic smile before he did so. She shook her head, just staring as everyone dispersed.

Finn fitted her hands with gloves from her own kit and moved to the coffee table. She took several snaps with her camera before she picked up the pill packet. "You alright?" she asked, glancing over the plastic bag.

Slumping down on the sofa arm, Sara gave her co-worker a dissatisfied glare. "What do you think?"

"I don't want to speak out of turn," Finn continued. "But I think you should calm down." She slipped the bag of pills into an evidence bag and then gave Sara her full attention. "I know it hurts, I can't even imagine how much it hurts but you going out on a one woman crusade will _not _help this case _or_ help get Grissom back."

Sara's eyes narrowed. Was anyone on her side? Did anyone understand? "Do you actually think I could just sit at home and do nothing?"

Finn shook her head. "No, I don't." She picked up the glass from the table now and inspected it while she carried on talking. "But you needed some time and that's what Russell was trying to give you. One more slip up on this case could be a total disaster for both the department and for your husband."

Working her fingers over the back of her tense neck, Sara sighed. "I just want to find him."

Half smiling Finn reached into her kit for another pair of gloves. "I know." She held the latex out to Sara. "So you gonna help or what?" she asked. "Two hands are better than one, right?"

Slowly pushing herself to her feet, Sara looked at the gloves and then back to the older woman. "Do you think Russell will appreciate that? I did quit after all and I don't think he's very happy with me right now."

"As long as you stay in this room as he asked, I'm sure it will be fine. If not, I'll take the heat."

Reaching out to take the gloves, Sara did manage a small smile. "Thanks," she whispered.

Finn nodded and held the glass to her nose, sniffing what was left of the liquid inside. "Bourbon I'd guess."

Stepping forwards, Sara inhaled as Finn held out the glass to her. The aroma was pungent, but it didn't smell of anything out of the ordinary. "Smells like it," Sara agreed.

"Maybe he got back, got tanked on booze and pills, and went to bed," Finn suggested, tipping the liquid into a jar before bagging it.

Sara's eyes narrowed. "So where's the bottle?" she asked, not seeing it anywhere.

Straightening out, Finn frowned. "Good point. If you are on a drinking mission you generally keep the bottle with you. If he is upstairs, maybe he decided to take it with him." She pointed to her kit. "Pass me some print powder from my case?" she asked, eyeing the glass, noting smudged prints clinging it.

Sara did as requested then looked over her shoulder and to the stairs. Was he up there?

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Reaching the top of the stairs, Brass moved off to the left and Russell and Nick headed to the right. Russell took the first door and Nick the second. Upon entering the room, Russell reached for a light switch. The light popped on to reveal a small bedroom but an empty small bedroom. There was no one inside. But, Russell sprang around to face the open doorway when he heard a holler.

"Russell! Brass!" Nick shouted at the top of his lungs. "You better get in here!"

The supervisor quickly turned on his heels, rushing towards the room his CSI was inspecting.

Sara, downstairs, heard the shout and her eyes sprang to Finn.

Finn instantly knew Sara was going to run and she did. Within mere seconds of Nick's shout, Sara had bolted for the stairs and was almost halfway up before Finn could even think about catching up. After considering her options, she didn't try to follow and continued to process. If she was needed she would be called for and she knew her co-workers up the stairs would deal with Sara as they needed to. Time was short and she needed to get on with the job at hand.

Breathlessly, Sara reached the second floor and her eyes shot from left to right, right to left. She heard Brass to her right and as fast as her legs would carry her, she headed for his voice.

"Well, I don't think he's going to be telling us much," she heard Nick grumble as she entered the room.

She froze when she saw the scene before her. The three men, in a semi-circle, looking up. She followed suit and instantly took a step back when she saw Tom Draper, hanging from a beam in the ceiling by a piece of black cord. A fallen chair sat toppled on its side under his dangling feet.

A sick feeling churned in her stomach. "Oh no…" she gasped quietly, unbelieving. This really wasn't happening…

Her team simultaneously, slowly, turned to face her.

Russell looked to Nick for a brief second and then approached Sara. It was obvious by the look in his eyes he was struggling for his next action. "You should….um….probably wait downstairs," he guided softly. "He isn't going to be helping…"

Sara took her attention from the deceased man to stare Russell in the eye. Unexpected to everyone, Sara didn't say a word. She simply turned around and left the way she had come.

The supervisor frowned in surprise and Nick stepped up beside him. "I'm going to make sure she's alright," the younger man said.

"Okay," Russell sighed. "I'll call Robbins and start looking around in here. Don't be long and send Finn up. She can start getting some pictures until you get back."

Nick just offered a somber nod and went in search of his friend.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

On shaky legs, Sara slowly strode down the stairs feeling as if she was falling through a bottomless pit. Their biggest chance yet to find Grissom_…_a lead she knew would have given them answers…at least of some sort…

All gone. Again.

And still, there was nothing.

Finn looked over to her when she reached the bottom of the staircase. "Are you okay? What happened upstairs?" She stepped closer to Sara but was simply bypassed. Sara went straight out the front door.

Nick quickly appeared then, rushing down the stairs.

"What's going on?" Finn asked as he stopped by her.

"Drapers dead," he replied. "Upstairs…Russell wants you."

Finn blinked hard in surprise, watching as Nick dashed after Sara who had now slumped down on the front step, throwing her gloves onto the ground. After a moment, Finn took her kit and ascended the stairs in search of her boss.

Hovering behind Sara, Nick took a breath. "Hey…"

Sara shook her head and sucked the tears back. "Just leave me alone," she whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

He worked his jaw, looking to his left upon hearing Greg scuttle from the garage, flashlight in hand. The younger CSI shinned his light upon the pair and Nick approached him.

"Why is Sara sitting on the porch?" Greg asked as the two men met.

Nick placed his hands on his hips as they both watched her. "We just found Draper."

Greg puckered his lips but then he frowned at Nick's irritated tone.

"He's dead," Nick continued.

"Oh…great…" Greg moaned, scratching his head. "How?"

Looking up to the building, Nick let out a heaving sigh. "Hung. No other details yet, we just found him."

"So now what?" Greg asked. "How does this help us find Grissom?"

Looking back to his co-worker Nick shrugged. "I guess it doesn't," he grumbled frustrated. "It just gives us a little more to do." He nodded to Sara. "Keep your eye on her will you? I need to get back to Russell."

Greg nodded as Nick returned to the house. This night had just got that little bit longer.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Brass was in the corridor on his cell as Nick returned to the bedroom. Units were en-route as well as the coroner. When he entered the room he found Finn snapping her camera into action, getting shots of the still hanging Tom Draper.

Russell was hovering over a small desk in the corner, an open laptop in front of him, his hand rubbing hard over his chin. He looked in deep concentration as his subordinate joined him.

"Got something?" Nick asked, blinking as the flash from Finn's camera flickered in his eyes.

Blowing out a breath, Russell pointed to the laptop screen. "Take a look at that."

Nick frowned but did as asked, moving closer to read what was on the computer.

"_I did it. It was all me. Please don't blame Joan, she didn't know anything about it. I didn't mean for it to go as far as it did but that money would have set us up for life. But I can't live with what I have done. And I won't go to jail. Please tell Joan I'm sorry and that I love her."_

Stepping back in surprise, Nick looked to his boss, his brow firmly pinched. "Suicide note?" he questioned.

"Looks like it," Russell retorted, looking over his shoulder to the dead man.

"You think that's for real?"

Russell sighed, moving closer to Finn, his eyes narrowing in on the cord around Draper's neck. "I don't know," he muttered.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Nick thought hard. "This doesn't make any sense. Are we now seriously considering _he_ is the one who took Grissom?"

"I'm not coming to any conclusions just yet," Russell answered, his eyes narrowing as he pushed himself up onto his tip toes, attempting to see the abrasions around the victim's neck.

Nick gave a sceptical nod and began searching the room, tightening his gloves while moving to a closet in the corner.

"What do you see?" Finn asked, noting her boss's expression.

Russell frowned. "Not much, that's why I'm curious." He leveled his feet out and gave her his full attention.

"You pick up anything downstairs?" Russell asked his second.

Finn shrugged. "Didn't have much time to look. Found some pills, I'd say definitely of an illegal type and there was a glass on the coffee table. I'd guess there was bourbon in it and I was just printing it when I was needed up here. Didn't smell anything weird in the glass or anything but Sara did notice there wasn't a bottle anywhere. If you're stressed, as I'm pretty sure Draper was, I'd have expected him to take the bottle with him."

Russell looked around the room. "Well, I can't see one in here but I guess it could be anywhere. Get back downstairs and carry on looking. It might not be important but find that bottle just in case there is more to his tipple than meets the eye."

She nodded and left the room.

Brass stepped in, slipping his cell into his top pocket. "Ecklie isn't happy," he said, pulling gloves from his jacket and visually inspecting his surroundings.

Bending, Russell began examining the chair underneath Draper. "Why's that?" he asked, looking up to Draper and back to the chair, seemingly uninterested in Brass's comment.

"Basderic told him Sara tried to shoot him. He wants you to call him."

Russell looked sharply over his shoulder, eyes a little wider than they were. "Oh…"

"Hmmm…" Brass mumbled, a nerve in his right eye pinching as he approached a chest of drawers. "I didn't give him any info, just so you know…"

"Hey Russell…" Nick called, breaking up the conversation. "You need to come see this." The Texan's request sounded urgent so Russell was quick to respond. Pushing himself up with Ecklie still on his mind, the lead CSI approached his worker.

Nick stood back, pointing his flashlight into a bag on the floor of the wardrobe.

"What have you got?" the supervisor keenly asked.

"Take a look," Nick urged, running his tongue over his bottom lip while keeping his light upon the bag.

The supervisor bent down by the black bag, grabbing ahold of the top to pull it open. His eyes worked through the guiding light and over the contents, immediately catching the glint of metal.

He realized right away what he was looking at and reached a gloved hand into the bag to pull one out. He held the metal spike in front of him, between finger and thumb, his eyes working in circles as his brain clicked into gear. Looking up to Nick he gave his CSI a knowing look.

"We saw the same thing on the video right?" Nick asked.

Russell nodded. "Yeah…I think so…" He chewed on the inside of his bottom lip, looking back into the bag. "There's four of them in here." Pausing, his brain continued to tick over. "I've seen another one somewhere else as well…" he remembered.

"Where?"

Russell placed the spike back where he'd found it and held his hand out for Nick's camera. The CSI handed over the appliance and Russell took a few snaps. "Basderic's sister's place," the supervisors continued. "There was one in the basement." His lips pouted, his thoughts milling over and over.

"Basderic's little room?" Nick questioned.

The older man nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"We need to go get it then," Nick continued. "See if we can get a match, or some trace from it. If we do, that could put Basderic back in the frame."

Russell exhaled deeply. "Maybe…"

"You might wanna come take a look over here too," Brass shouted over, his voice oddly shaky.

Both Nick and Russell looked over to him to see he was flicking through a stash of photos.

"These are pictures of Grissom from that footage Sara was sent…" the captain raised his head to glance at his colleagues.

Nick was quick to move. "Are you serious?"

Brass nodded, holding out some of the photographs.

Nick took them and glanced through the top three. Sure enough, they showed Grissom being brutalized. Captures no doubt taken from the torture video footage. "This is just getting deeper by the second," he said.

"Oh boy…" Brass mumbled, staring down at another picture in the pile.

Russell squinted his right eye. "What?" he asked.

Brass held up the picture.

"_What the hell is that_?" Nick snapped as they looked down at a picture of Sara, on a bed, seemingly asleep, wearing nothing but a black bra and panty set.

Reaching out, Russell took the picture, a nervous breath twitching from his lips.

"There's more…" Brass said, holding up another half dozen pictures of Sara. All looking pretty similar but from different angles.

Nick's mouth opened as he pointed at the photographs but nothing seemed to come out. Russell pinched his forehead between finger and thumb, massaging his pulse points.

"_Why_ are there pictures of Sara more than half naked in this house?" Nick growled.

Russell removed his glasses, sticking the left arm into his mouth. He frowned, deep in thought. "I don't know," he admitted. "But…." He paused for what seemed like a lifetime as the other two men appeared to wait for guidance.

"What are you thinking?" Nick asked, his tone begging for answers.

Looking back to the deceased, Russell pondered. "_I'm thinking_ something's not right."

"_I'm thinking_ a lot's not right," Brass shot back angrily.

David arrived, rushing through the door. "Hey," he announced, panting for breath as a gurney was wheeled in after him by two paramedics. "Robbins is a little busy so he sent me out…"

Russell nodded to Nick. "Help David get him down, will you?"

"_What about those pictures_?" Nick questioned, as annoyed as Brass was. "I'm not happy that…"

"They wait," Russell returned, cutting him off. "Until were done processing. That's more important right now. Then…we try and find out why and…I'll to speak to Sara…"

**A/N: Eeeeep. What oh what is going on now. Blame the hat :) Review please. **


	27. A silent prayer

**A/N: Hey everyone. Here is the next chapter. I think Evil Hat may have been slacking in this one, maybe a little. Mistakes have been made by a certain someone…. Hmmm…. Lol.**

**Thank you for the reviews. Numerous reviewers have asked me questions but I can't reply to you unless you sign in. Please don't think I'm ignoring you, I'm not. But you need to sign in so I can reply. **

**Thanks so much to Calim11 for the beta. Loved chatting to you about future goings on last night, mwahahaha. Hat is very grateful :D**

**And on we go…. **

Chapter 26

Nick looked up at the black cord holding the deceased. "I'm going to have to cut that to get him down," he said.

"Yeah," Russell agreed.

The CSI turned back to the corpse but he paused. "You know…I don't think I'm going to be able to reach that cord. It looks too high up."

Russell circled the body, assessing the distance and then his eyes fell upon the chair. It wasn't a tall chair. In fact, it more than likely belonged under the desk where the laptop was. There was definitely something off with the bodies distance from the floor if he had stepped onto that particular piece of furniture to take his life.

"Reach up and see if you can," the supervisor advised.

"Okay…"

Nick stood up on his tip toes, raising his arms. He could almost reach the cord but not quite.

"Not gonna happen…." he advised, flattening his feet back onto the carpet.

"Interesting," Russell announced.

"Yeah…" Nick agreed. "If he came off that chair, how'd he get all the way up there considering the length of the cord? I don't think his feet are close enough to the ground."

Russell's brow rose. "Me either..."

"Unless he jumped through the damn noose."

Brass's right brow inclined at the suggestion.

"Jim, can you go see if there is something downstairs we can use to climb on?" Russell asked.

"Sure," Brass agreed.

Russell couldn't fight the suspicious feeling in his stomach. His eyes downcast, back to the carpet, his head shaking.

Nick noticed. "What are you seeing?" the CSI asked.

Bending, Russell's eyes narrowed and he pointed to four indentations in the carpet. "You see that?"

Following his boss's lead, Nick moved closer to take a look. "I see it," Nick replied, pulling his camera up to snap pictures of the four small dents. "That happens when you sit on a chair but I don't think these impressions came from that…" He flicked his hand towards the fallen piece of furniture. "The indentations are too big and too far apart. I'd say a heavier object made these. Looks more like they came from…"

"A ladder," Russell finished for him.

Flinging his camera onto his shoulder, Nick thumped his hands onto his hips. "You think that son of bitch hoisted Draper up there? Took him out of the picture before we got a chance to get anything from him? And by God, he'd be wasting more of our time…"

Russell didn't answer and looked around one more time. "Have you seen a ladder anywhere?"

"Nope," Nick responded, shaking his head. "But I can't say I've been looking."

Pulling out his cell Russell called Greg.

"Yeah?" the CSI answered.

"Where are you?" Russell asked.

Squad car lights flashed through the darkness. A small crowd of nosy neighbors had gathered just beyond the crime scene tape, watching the numerous police officers who were now checking around as well as entering the house. Greg replaced the lid on the garbage can and it caused a din he would rather not have made. He swiftly turned away from the prying eyes of his spectators.

"Just checking the trash in the driveway. Trying to keep my eye on Sara while I'm looking around."

"Is she okay?" Russell asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. She hasn't moved."

Russell puckered his lips, once again feeling the pain of his CSI. "Anything in the trash?"

"No," Greg said, walking back towards the house. "Two takeaway boxes, that's it. I'll bag them."

"Have you seen a ladder anywhere?"

Greg stopped, his brow pinching and he looked back to the garage. "Yeah. The garage was clean but, there is a ladder in there. "Gimmie a sec..."

Russell waited and Nick listened on.

"Yep," Greg continued, entering the garage once more. "Metallic step ladder, about four feet I'd say."

"How big would you say the feet are?"

Pouting, Greg bent by the ladder, checking out its legs and base. "Maybe two to three inches. Why?"

Inspecting the marks again, Russell had a sneaky suspicion that the ladder downstairs had made the prints in the carpet.

"Photo it, tag it, print it and get it up here will you? I need to check something…"

"Umm…" Greg scratched his head. "Okay…"

Russell hung up just as Brass returned carrying a stool. "From the kitchen," he said, holding it up. "It's clean…"

"Good…" The supervisor took the stool and handed it to Nick. The CSI placed it by Draper and then reached into his kit for a knife.

Nick jumped up onto the stool and Brass nodded to David. The Captain took the back of the dead man while the younger man took hold of the front.

"You ready?" Nick asked, raising the knife above his head, poised to slice through the barrier which he could now reach. The quicker he got the dead man out of his face, the better. It wasn't particularly a nice feeling being so close.

"Nice and easy," Russell advised.

Nick's tongue poked out through his slightly parted lips as he concentrated on carefully cutting through the cord. It was thick, strong and it took a little bit more effort than he suspected it would. After a couple more heavy slices, the cord broke and Tom Draper fell into the waiting arms of the cop and the coroner.

The two men instantly lowered the body onto a plastic sheet which had been placed on the carpet and Russell crouched beside it. "It shouldn't be too hard to get a T.O.D," he said. "He was only released a few hours ago."

David nodded but checked the liver temperature anyway, sticking his instrument through the dead man's flesh. "Yeah," he agreed. "Pretty high. Sometime in the last three hours."

Russell nodded, pointing to the cord and marks around Draper's neck. "Does that look normal for a suicide to you?"

"What's a suicide supposed to look like?" David enquired.

"From what I've seen in the past, most people who hang _do_ struggle, even if just a little." Russell pointed to Draper's neck, running his finger from left to right just above the cord and the bruising underneath it. "There are barely any marks here. We'll see more once the cord comes off his neck but, it looks too clean. Like he just…"

"Hung there and took it…" Brass interrupted, gaining the attention of the three men. "So to speak…"

Standing, Russell urged Nick closer. "Get the pictures so we can remove the cord."

"Sure thing," Nick replied, once again taking up his camera.

Brass pointed to the deceased. "I get the feeling you don't think he killed himself."

"For the most part, it doesn't matter what I think," Russell retorted. "It's what the evidence says and what I can prove."

"Come on Russell, you know what I mean. Time's wearing thin here."

Russell sighed. "I know that."

"I think Russell could be right," David interrupted, picking up Draper's left hand then his right. "There are absolutely no marks on his hands. No sore points, no bruises, no marks from the cord, nothing…see. So I'd wager his prints aren't on the cord either. He definitely didn't string himself up if they're not."

Everyone had a quick look at Draper's hands. "I agree that in most suicides there is still an element of panic," David continued. "But, even if you want to die, it's still hard to fight that searing pain that comes with choking to death. So you would, in most cases, try and pull the rope away. It's just human nature."

Brass smirked, gently folding his arms over his chest. "Since when did you become the investigator?"

David looked back to the body and began pulling the cord from Draper's neck now that Nick had finished with his current shooting. "I want to find Grissom as much as anyone else. He was my friend too."

"_Is_, David. _He is_…" Nick corrected him. "Not was…"

"Right," David agreed.

"So he didn't fight because…" Brass started but Russell stopped him.

"Pills and booze…" the supervisor interjected with a hint of realization. "He didn't fight because he wasn't even conscious…" He gave Nick a quick glance before turning on his heels and heading for the door. "Finish up with the body and keep looking," he called before disappearing. "I'll be back."

"Where's he going?" Nick questioned, confused.

Brass just blew out a breath and shrugged. "Who knows?"

Russell rushed down the stairs in search of Finn, meeting Greg at the bottom who had the step ladder. "Took your time didn't you?" Russell asked.

"Sorry," Greg apologized. "Really had to go to the bathroom so I…you know. Can't go at the crime scene. It's been a long night and I really couldn't hold it any longer…"

"Okay…okay…" Russell held up his hands. "Take that upstairs and help Nick."

Greg looked a little uncertain. "What about Sara? Shouldn't someone keep an eye on her?"

"I'll go out there shortly. And…um…" The supervisor removed his gloves slipping them back into his pocket to toss later. "Can you ask Nick for the pictures of Sara and bring them down to me? I forgot to bring them and I need to go find Finn."

"I guess. What pictures?"

Russell cleared his throat and patted Greg on the shoulder. "You'll see."

The younger man frowned. "Okay…" he replied and set off up the stairs.

Moving into the living room, Russell looked around for his second. "Finn, where are you?" he called.

"In the kitchen," she responded, her voice coming loud and clear through the open kitchen doorway.

"Found anything useful?" he asked, entering the room.

She turned away from the sink and the second glass she had printed that night. Removing her gloves, she fished a fresh pair from her kit. "What would you count as useful?" she asked.

"I'll take that as a no then," he retorted.

"One set of prints from the glass in the living room," she continued. "Draper's, I would presume but oddly nothing on this one…" She pointed to the glass by the sink. "No prints at all and it smells like bleach."

Looking intrigued Russell stepped forward, his eyes narrowing in on the glass. "Someone tried to clean up…" he surmised. "Who cleans their dishes with bleach?"

"Someone wanting to hide something probably. But, I think they've hidden a little too much. There should be at least one set of prints on here unless Draper wears gloves to wash up, which I doubt because there aren't any."

"Hmmm…." He spun around. "Did you find the liquor bottle?"

She shook her head. "Nope. There are two bottles in the cupboard over there but they are both full."

"So what was he drinking?"

"Beats me," Finn replied on a shrug. "Maybe the bottle's in the trash. I haven't checked everywhere in here yet and there's usually another trash can under the…" She reached to a handle below her and pulled open a cupboard, "…sink…" Her eyes worked over the empty space noticing a few bottles of cleaning liquid but not much else. "Okay, no spare trash can." Turning back to her boss she noticed he was deeply concentrating. "You wanna share your thoughts?"

He held up a finger. "In a little while…keep looking and let me know if that bottle turns up."

Blowing out a breath, she shrugged. "Okay…"

Leaving the kitchen, Russell headed for the main door when Greg came clambering down the stairs, pictures in hand. The young CSI held the pile out to his boss. "Here," he said angrily.

Russell took the photos, each one now individually bagged to preserve any trace. "Thanks," he replied.

Greg pointed to the pictures. "If I find out who took them…" he threatened but Russell stopped him, placing a comforting but firm hand upon his worker's shoulder.

"Don't let it influence you," the supervisor guided.

Snorting, Greg crossed him arms. "Influence me? It pisses me off, that's what it does. Sara's going to flip when she sees those. It's so wrong…"

Bowing his head, Russell nodded. He pretty much thought the same. "Yeah, I know," he admitted, kinking his head back to the stairs. "Best get on, huh? Still lots to do..."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell found Sara sitting on a wall in the garden with her head bowed. As he drew close, he noticed her hands tightly clasped in her lap and her eyes were closed. It almost looked like she was praying.

He didn't say anything to start with, just simply sat next to her, placing the photographs he was carrying beside him. After a moment or two her eyes opened and her head slowly turned. Russell breathed a sad sigh when he saw the pain in her tired eyes.

"Hey…" he whispered.

Sara leaned back against a tree trunk behind her, her head harshly clipping the bark but she didn't care.

"Did I interrupt?" he asked softly when she didn't say anything back.

She shook her head. "No," she replied flatly, keeping her plea's to herself. Looking up to the sky, she sniffed. "It will be getting light soon."

Russell nodded in agreement.

"So…" she continued, keeping her eyes skywards "….are you actually any closer to finding my husband or…"

"I don't think Draper killed himself," Russell cut her short and her eyes shot to him. He bit his upper lip, "…we need to prove it though."

Leaning forwards, Sara ran her hands over her thighs eagerly listening.

"_But_…we have found evidence suggesting that _he_ took Grissom and is responsible for his torture. And I'm sure we'll find more."

"He can't be the one," Sara argued. "How could he? Think about the time frame for one."

Russell's brain kicked into gear. "Well…Grissom's flight was originally due to land at _2:30pm_ right? But the earlier flight landed at _12:15pm_?"

"Yes," Sara agreed, remembering they got to the airport around _1:15pm_, an hour after her husband's flight had come in.

"Draper's shift started at _1:00pm_…"

Sara shifted, facing her boss a little more. "That's cutting it a little fine don't you think? It would have been past _12:30pm_ by the time Gil got to the car and for Draper to get all the way into the parking deck, take him, drop him off and get back in half an hour? It's not going to happen…"

"No it's not," Russell agreed, knowing the distance to Emily Hick's estate was just too great given the time frame. "But he could have passed him off to someone else…"

Vigorously, Sara shook her head. "I don't believe that. Tom Draper was the second man in the security video. He let Basderic into the parking deck. Basderic is the one who took Gil and now Draper is being set up as the fall guy."

Russell's tongue peeked out from his lips for Sara made a good argument. "Draper could have left Joan's car in the garage for Basderic to pick up and make the swap…"

"Yes…" Sara agreed swiftly again.

Although things were becoming a little clearer in his mind, he had nothing to support such thoughts and he sighed. "We still don't have anything to prove Basderic is involved in this or did anything we have insinuated…"

"_I know it's him_…" The bitterness in her words made her frustration more than evident.

"Sadly _that_ or theory won't stand up in court," Russell countered.

"Draper was in custody when the DVD was dropped off. How could he have done that when he was in a cell?" she continued with her argument.

Russell gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's not hard to ask someone else to do things for you. As we found out with the letter. That was delivered by someone else." Most of him agreed with Sara but there was part of him that had to explore both sides of the story. He took a breath and reached a hand for the pictures.

"What's that?" Sara asked with a firm frown.

The supervisor held out the pile and with her eyes narrowing, Sara took the offering. When she flipped the photos over, her jaw dropped and an audible swallow nipped the cool air.

"I…" she muttered, looking through the plastic to each picture in turn. Her eyes shot back to her boss, wide, confused. "What the fu…" Anger fizzed through her, like an eager bullet shooting from a loaded pistol. Her head shook rapidly, her teeth gritting.

"They were found in Draper's bedroom."

"This is sick." She shot to her feet. "How the hell could he possibly get…" she drifted off then, realization dawning upon her. "Oh my God…"

Russell's eyes flickered. "_What_, Sara? _Tell me_…"

She held the pictures up. "This is from the night Wynard was murdered. Oh, Jesus…" She threw the pictures down, wrapping her hands around her midsection. "I feel so sick…"

Quickly standing, Russell moved close to her.

"_Don't you see_?" she questioned, facing him. "Basderic must have taken them while I was out. Oh no…what else did he do? We _know_ he was in my hotel room. I would never have known what he was doing." Her legs suddenly turned to jelly at the thought of what he could have done to her and she stumbled a little.

Russell was fast to clasp an arm around her and steadied her. "Just take a breath," he advised. "Sit back down…"

"No!" she shouted, pushing him away. "Just…keep the hell away from me! That…that…freak could have…" She sucked in a breath, "…he could have done anything to me!"

The supervisor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you sure they are from _that_ night?"

"Yes!" she growled. "It's the last time I wore that outfit. I only wear it for Gil but he didn't show. And are you _actually_ thinking I have men photographing me while I'm almost naked?"

"I didn't say that," he replied, doing his best to try and keep his tone calm and understanding.

Sara threw her hands into the air. "Basderic planted those and I'm pretty damn sure he set all that up in there too." She pointed to the house. "You know it as well. I can see it in your eyes."

Russell retrieved the pictures on a thought. "Draper was the only one who could give Basderic up."

"Exactly."

"But why leave these?" he questioned holding up the pictures.

Sara screwed up her nose. "Because he's sadistic and just loves making me suffer. And of course, it insinuates Draper more. Shame for Basderic I know _exactly_ when they were taken."

Russell looked back to the house. "I should go see where we're at and work out where we go from here."

"Fine," she muttered. "But all this…" She pointed to the house herself now, "… is just wasting more time. And that's exactly what he wants."

"We might find something," he argued.

She grinned sarcastically. "Do you actually believe that?"

"Well…" Russell continued, "…if this is a setup, Basderic has already started making mistakes. So I'm pretty sure, he'll make some more…" His eyes searched hers. "We can't start giving up…"

Returning her attention to the sky she shook her head. "I'll never give up."

**A/N: Ooooh…can any of this help? Will it lead them to Grissom? Tick tock….. Hehehehe. **


	28. The joining of two souls

**A/N: Ah, here we go. Evil hat thinks it's time for a little reminiscing :) I think he might be getting soft. **

**Thanks for all your reviews, please keep them coming. Just a little pointer – This story, so far is pretty much set in real time. So it may seem longer than it actually is that Grissom has been missing for. It's not even been a day yet. I appreciate that a lot of you want him found and things are now moving along. So, hang on in there.**

**Thank you so much to Calim11 for the excellent beta. Some great pointers this time and I appreciate your help very much :)**

Chapter 27

The smell of salt lingered in the air, clean and crisp. A light pounding of surf coming from afar filtered through the day's dainty breeze. Above them, the sun shone glorious and golden. Grissom squelched his toes through the grainy white sand beneath his feet and Sara giggled, looping her arm through his as he curled his nose a touch at the sensation. He knew sand just got _everywhere_…

He tilted his head to catch her eyes and any dissatisfaction quickly fizzled away. Her glorious smile could do nothing but make him happy.

"_I love_ you in _that_ suit," she purred, her eyes drifting up and down his body. He wore a simple pair of cream pants with a matching cream jacket and a white shirt. No tie. A graceful pink rose sat proudly in his button hole.

"Same to you, my dear," he returned, his own eyes passing over the woman he was about to dedicate his entire life to. The elegant, sleeveless, white satin wedding gown complimented her body perfectly. Running his tongue over his bottom lip, he stared at her in awe. A pang began in his groin at the thought of peeling the dress from her body, sliding his lips over her smooth collar bone and impaling her to the silk sheets in their honeymoon bed.

"Gil…"

He blinked, not sure if he just heard his name or not.

"_Gil_…." It came again.

"Huh?" He looked up and back into her eyes.

Sara laughed at him. She held her hand out, waving it towards the pastor who was patiently waiting by the small marble podium, book in hand.

"Are you both ready?" the younger man asked with a smile.

Grissom swallowed a touch, looking briefly over his shoulder to the attorney they'd hired to witness their blessing and make everything legal. He took a breath, nodded and smiled. "Yes," he replied, covering Sara's hand with his own and giving the man of God his undivided attention.

The man nodded with a smile and opened his book.

"We are gathered here today in the beautiful serene tropics of Costa Rica to unite Gilbert and Sara in marriage. This celebration is but an outward sign of an inward union of heart, mind and spirit. This is a celebration of the joining of two souls already attuned to each other. When such a true bond already exists between a man and a woman, it is fitting that an outer acknowledgment be made. We are here to bear witness to the entry into the closer relationship of husband and wife of these beloved friends who are about to become one in spirit."

As the pastor continued, Grissom turned to his bride and she to him. His chest swelled with an overwhelming sense of pride as he got lost in her eyes, noticing they were glazed over a little, tiny tears welling in the corners. He squeezed her hand softly, never looking away.

"Gilbert, do you take this woman to be your wedded wife? Do you promise before God and this company that you will love her, honor her, comfort and keep her in sickness and in health and that forsaking all others for her alone will you perform unto her all of the duties and respect that a husband graciously bestows upon his wife?"

Grissom's lips twitched. "I do…"

"Sara, do you take this man to be your wedded husband? Do you promise before God and this company that you will love him, honor him, comfort and keep him in sickness and in health and that forsaking all others for him alone will you perform unto him all of the duties and respect that a wife graciously bestows upon her husband?

Sara pouted a bashful smile and sucked in a light breath. "I do…"

Although he knew he should be paying attention to what the Pastor was saying, Grissom found the man's words just floated on by. He was just too lost in his wife's stare, in her love to hear much. He finally snapped out of it when the rings were asked for and again Sara giggled, understanding exactly where his mind was. She felt the same. Dipping her head towards the man behind them she gave him his cue to seek the rings from their witness. He did so on a grin and handed them to the Pastor.

"Gilbert and Sara, as these beautiful rings are designed without an ending, they speak of eternity. May the incorruptible substance of these rings represent a love glowing with increasing luster through the years. May God bless these which you give to each other as the sign of your eternal love, trust, and faithfulness."

"Gilbert, place this ring onto Sara's finger and please repeat after me…"

Grissom took the ring and faced Sara again. Taking her left hand, he slipped the ring onto her finger, cleared his throat and repeated the Pastor's words…

"Sara, my love, with this ring, I thee wed, and say to the world this is my wife, whom I cherish above all others. May our love continue to be everlasting and eternal."

Sara well and truly blushed but her smile remained. She sighed gently, licking her lips after the exhalation of air.

The Pastor smiled and looked to Sara. "Sara, place this ring on Gilbert's finger and please repeat after me…"

Mirroring her husband's actions, Sara took his hand, slipping the golden band onto his finger. "Gil, my love, with this ring, I thee wed, and say to the world, this is my husband, whom I cherish above all others. May our love continue to be everlasting and eternal…"

He smiled so brightly, if the sun had gone down, daylight would still have been shining through.

"Our hearts are filled with great happiness. Gilbert and Sara came before us pledging their lives and their hearts to one another. Grant that they may be ever true and loving, living together in such a way as to never bring heartache into their marriage.

"Temper their hearts with kindness and help them to be sweethearts, helpmates, friends and guides, and together may they meet the cares and problems of life more bravely. Let them remember the value of each other as individuals and never take each other for granted. And as time takes away their youthful charm, may they find contentment in the greater joys of rich companionship. May their home truly be a place where love and harmony is ever present. May their love continue through life until it blends into the life eternal. Now that you have joined yourselves in holy matrimony, may you strive always to meet this commitment with the same spirit you now exhibit.

"We all bear witness to this ceremony you have just performed, and you are now recognized as Husband and Wife. May God bless this union.

"Gilbert…you may now kiss your wife…"

Oh, Grissom didn't need a second invitation to do that. Swiftly taking both her hands, he slowly pulled her close. His eyes left hers, only to focus upon her glimmering, plump lips. He dipped his head forwards with only one goal on his mind…

Grissom's eyes shot open and his body lunged forward. "Aghhhhhh," he cried as the metal spiking his hands pulled hard through his wounds. He slumped back, his eyes flickering as he attempted to gather his bearings. The dream seemed so real…

Probably the best day of his life but reality, he was experiencing the worst day of his life.

Sucking in a heavy breath, he winced. The pain had relented in his dreams but now awake, it was unbearable.

His ears tingled, catching the whirling sound coming from behind him again but it was much louder than it was before. Or at least it felt that way. It almost sounded like the ocean. Maybe that had instigated his dream. His unconsciousness grasping onto the sounds around him. He decided now that his earlier thought was correct and it was fan, filtering in the air he needed to breathe.

He jumped when a loud pop sounded from above. He remembered it was the same sound from earlier, Basderic said it happened when the lights were turned on in the building over them. Swallowing hard, Grissom dreaded what was coming. But when no one appeared after a few minutes he'd come to think that maybe his captor had not returned. Grissom looked at the ceiling, his eyes darting from one end to the other. Had help come back? Had they found him? His eyes fell back to the door but there was no sign of _anyone_. No other sound was made.

He whimpered. "Help!" he attempted to shout, but he was so weak, not much came out. "Heeeellllp!" came his cry, a tear now blossoming from the corner of his right eye. "I'm…down here!" His chin shook as his final words came on a sob. "I'm down here…"

Now he drifted off realising his attempt was futile. Whoever was up there couldn't hear him. Unless they knew where he was, they hadn't got a chance of finding him…

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Sara, at Russell's request, followed him back to the house. Their entrance became blocked though and they stood back, watching on as the deceased was wheeled out.

"Get right on it will you, David?" Russell asked, pointing to the trolley as it was pushed away. "Nothing else matters right now apart from him. If I'm not back at the lab, let me know if you get anything."

David nodded, rushing after his co-workers. "I'll do that…" he called back.

"You stick with me, Sara. Do I make myself clear?" Russell was laying the rules out plain and simple. "You step over the line, just one little inch, I'll have you taken home."

Although she wanted to argue, she didn't. She wanted to know what they'd found so for now, she just did as she was told. Sliding her hands into her pants pockets, she shrugged. "Whatever you say," she replied, even if it wasn't the most believable response.

He nodded and entered the house, Sara followed…

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Russell headed straight back to Draper's bedroom, Sara close behind him. Nick and Greg were still looking around inside.

Greg was in the closet while Nick was on his hands and knees looking under the bed, flashlight in hand.

"We got anything else?" Russell asked, clapping his hands together as he entered the room.

Sara immediately spotted the open laptop and approached it.

Greg turned from the closet and Nick's head popped up from the far side of the bed. "Nope, nothing yet," Nick said to his boss. He pushed himself to his feet. "But…" He pointed over to the ladder which was now leaning against the wall by the door, "…I checked the ladder with the carpet. Perfect match. That ladder made those marks…"

"And then walked itself back to the garage by the looks of it," Greg added.

Sara's mouth worked in nervous circles as she finished reading the text on the screen and turned to face her coworkers. "That's fake," she said firmly, pointing behind her. "This whole suicide is a charade."

"It's certainly looking like that," Russell replied, actually agreeing with her.

"So…" He spread his arms out under where Draper had been hanging and then placed a finger over his lips, thinking. "Hmmm….did you print the cord?" he asked.

Nick nodded, approaching his boss, giving Sara a weak smile as she joined him. Greg too stepped up to join the duo. "No prints, none at all."

"Well then, that proves he didn't hang himself," Sara stated. "He wasn't wearing gloves and it's pretty damn impossible to wrap a cord around your neck without touching it."

Brass returned, pointing over his shoulder. "A team from swing is here to take over. That way you guys can get back to the lab or do what you need to do."

"Good," Russell responded. "You two get everything together and everyone meet in the kitchen in ten. Just so we have a very clear view of where we are before we leave and what we do next."

Greg leaned into Sara. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Those pictures…I…"

Her head slowly turned and she looked him in the eye, a devastated look upon her face. "I don't want to talk about it," she replied. "Just leave it alone."

He smiled sadly and backed away to help Nick pack up the evidence.

"Sara," Russell called, crooking a finger. "Let's go…"

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Basderic ensured his sister was comfortable in his spare room before he joined his attorney, who was waiting in the kitchen.

Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Marshall yawned. "You have coffee?" he asked.

"Maybe," Basderic answered. "Once I know what's going on."

Marshall gave his client a smile and folded his arms across his chest. "In regard to Joan?"

Basderic nodded.

"Well…she is being held, under what charge I don't know yet."

"What did she say?" Basderic questioned.

"She admitted that your friend Tom had asked her to take out the rental that was involved in kidnapping Gil Grissom."

Basderic's eyes narrowed. "What else?"

Marshall shrugged. "I don't know. As she had insinuated another client of mine I had to step away. I was asked to leave the room."

"So has she been charged?"

"I don't think so. Not yet."

"Well can you find out?"

Marshall nodded. "I'm sure I can manage that. But I'm thinking you don't have to worry about her. My concern is your friend and what he may know that may hurt you. After all, you and Emily are really my top clients here. I only took on Mr. Draper because you paid me too."

Basderic smirked and walked to his coffee machine. He flicked on the switch and turned to his hired help with half a smile. "I don't think you need to worry about him."

"No?"

"Oh no. I doubt Tom will be saying anything bad about me."

"Are you sure?" Marshall was surprised Basderic seemed so relaxed.

Taking two cups from the sideboard Basderic nodded again. "I'm very sure. So…what about the estate. I want them off there. The _10am_ deadline…I mean that…"

"I'll get right on it as soon as I leave here. I'm sure the DA will be keen enough to avoid a lawsuit"

"Good."

Basderic placed the cups by the machine and smiled broadly. He had Sara on his mind. They must have found the pictures by now. Her response would have been very amusing. But would it be enough? He needed access to the estate and he needed her to use her initiative.

Then and only then could he complete his plan.

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As they ascended the stairs, Russell's cell vibrated in his pocket. He pulled out the appliance and checked the caller. He grimaced when he saw Ecklie's name on the small screen.

"Can you do something for me?" he asked Sara.

She looked surprised he was actually asking her but she nodded.

"Find Finn and tell her to get packed up. Then wait in the kitchen. I need to take this call."

"I can do that," Sara replied, stepping away in search of her co-worker.

He nodded, and went outside to get some privacy.

"Conrad…" Russell answered.

"You were supposed to call me back," the sheriff grumbled. "I've been waiting…"

Russell leaned against the side of the house, scrunching his eyes together. He, too, was beginning to feel the burn of this long, long shift. "Sorry," he apologized. "Just lots to do and I forgot. Tom Draper's death isn't exactly working out to be clear cut."

"So what are we looking at? Brass said you found the guy hanging."

"Yeah we did, but I don't think it's a suicide."

There was silence for a moment. No response coming from Ecklie at all. Russell heard him clear his throat. "Do you have enough to support that?"

The supervisor nodded to himself. "Yeah, I think I do. Hopefully, the autopsy will clarify it. I think he was drugged although it's been made to look like he took narcotics voluntarily."

"So we're talking murder?" Ecklie asked even though it was more of a statement.

"Yeah."

There was another pause. "Are you thinking Ronald Basderic is responsible?"

Russell pushed himself from the wall, looking back towards the main entrance of the house. "It fits and the timing would have not been long after he left PD. Draper could have given Basderic up for taking Grissom. If we knew that, then so did Basderic. I don't think he was about to let that happen."

"Two witnesses dead in the same day?" Ecklie blew an audible breath. "Not really the investigation we were planning on, is it?"

Irritated enough, Russell ignored the question.

"We found pictures of Sara here, pretty…_exposing_ pictures. She says the only time they could have been taken was that night in her hotel room when Taylor Wynard was murdered. It's a particular type of…um…lingerie she was wearing. And I believe her. Ronald Basderic was the only one who could have taken those pictures. He's trying to frame Tom Draper for Grissom's kidnapping."

"_Sara's there_?" Ecklie's question came swift and he didn't sound impressed.

"Yes, she's here."

"_Why the hell is she there_? I thought you'd sorted it! And seeing so called planted photographs of herself in compromising positions isn't going to really improve her mood or ability to help any is it?" Ecklie snapped now. He was by no means happy. "She is a threat to this entire investigation, Russell!"

The supervisor began pacing. "I couldn't help it. She got away from the guys watching her place. She got here before I did. I just thought it best to watch her rather than have her gallivanting all over the place. _It's her husband_, Conrad. You know what it's like as well as anyone. What if it was Morgan? I'm trying my best here…"

"Basderic told me she tried to shoot him. _Is that true_?"

Russell froze, his eyes closing on a sigh. Now what did he say? If he admitted it, he broke the law, covering up evidence _and_ an assault. If he denied it, he still broke the law. But he knew what was best for his team and he wasn't the only one who had been there.

"I wouldn't know anything about that," he denied.

"Fine," Ecklie growled. "But you'd better get back here and start telling me exactly what you do know before pink slips start flying out. We only have until_10am_ to finish on the Hicks property so you'd better move fast."

With his eyes shooting open, Russell found his heart beating just a little faster. "_What_?" he questioned, looking at his watch. It was _5:30am_.

"_10am_ is our deadline," Ecklie repeated. "And that is from the DA as he doesn't want this entire department in the hole for millions of dollars. Basderic _will _sue. If we don't have any hard evidence by then, he will have a clear cut case so…were out. I can't do anything about it."

Russell tried to think. He knew time was short, but for Grissom, not so much for their search. "I need you to do three things for me," he said.

"What?"

"Firstly get as many guys over to the estate as possible. Make some calls, I know others will come in when they know why."

"I'll do my best."

"Second, make sure the guys searching the house have checked the basement. There was a metal spike down there. Pretty similar to the ones we saw used on Grissom. I need it bringing to the lab asap if it's not there already."

"Okay," Ecklie agreed. "I can sort that."

"Third…I want to search Ronald Basderic's place and I want him brought back in."

"Errrrrrr…." The sheriff stuttered now. "I'm not so sure if that's going to happ…"

"_I need this_, Conrad," Russell pleaded. "The _investigation_ needs this. That spike is exactly the same as the one used to torture your former supervisor. I know it is. Why the hell has Basderic got one in his little hidey hole? It's enough to search and question him again. And I have a few things from here to spook him with too. He's making mistakes, Conrad. I just need him to make a few more and I know this is the best way to go about it. He isn't as clever as he thinks he is. Plus, I'm pretty sure he thinks he's got us running scared over his threat to sue, so he won't be expecting us to go search his house."

A long sigh came down the supervisor's cell. "I'll get the warrant taken to the officers watching him. I know he's currently at home, so you better move quickly. He might not stay there."

Russell half smiled. "Thank you."

"_You better be right_. My ass is now on the line. You got that?"

"I got it," Russell replied.

"Oh…" Ecklie continued, just before Russell was about to end the conversation. "We got the plans to the ranch. Sadly no secrets… They're old, from the _1940_'s, so anything built after that won't be on the original blue prints."

Running a hand across his forehead, Russell headed back towards the front door. "Well, it was worth a shot."

**A/N: *** Please note the 'vows' spoken by the Pastor are actually from an original Costa Rican wedding although I have adapted them. **

**SO, I think Russell knows Tom didn't kill himself and he seems pretty keen to draw Basderic back in. Is Sara just going to sit around and wait though? Maybe that's exactly what Basderic is hoping on… :) Thoughts please. Things are about to pick up…. Mwahahahaa. **


	29. The ball is in your court

**A/N: Hello, hello…London calling… Evil alert… Lol. Sorry, Hat's being naughty. Well, here's another chappy for you. I hope you enjoyed the last one. Thanks as always for the great reviews. Don't forget to sign in if you want me to reply to you. **

**Gracious thanks to Calim11 for the beta. You have been a great help with my flow and I love chatting about my plot! Mwahaah.**

**The clock is winding down and Sara's getting wound up… I foresee an eruption on the immediate horizon… **

**Hat away! Yay! :)**

Chapter 28

The Grave workers gathered in Drapers kitchen. Work carried on around them, fellow CSI's and law enforcement officers continuing to search the house, collecting anymore evidence that hadn't yet been found. But for now, Russell's team were done there and it was time to work out the next move.

Sara leaned against the kitchen counter, her arms folded across her chest, Greg by her side. Nick stood opposite, his hands gripping the back of a dinning chair while Finn stood next to her boss.

"So…" Russell held both his hands out. "Let's work out where we are and what we have to go on at this particular point in time shall we?"

Finn cleared her throat. "I found something else, after you left me. It's packed over by the door and ready to load up."

"What did you find?" Russell asked.

"I started searching a room in the back, looked like an office. I found…" Her eyes flicked to Sara for a second, "…adhesive lettering. The same type used on Sara's divorce paper, on the ransom note and on the envelopes."

The supervisor's right eye twitched.

"Another plant," Sara said before he had the chance to reply.

He gave her a mock grin. "Thank you, Sara," he retorted. "I do have a tongue."

She shook her head and looked away, the agitation building inside her once more. "We're just wasting more time with this…" she mumbled.

Now Russell glared at her.

"Stop it, Sara," Greg whispered. "He's doing his best with the means he has."

She bit down on her lip and faced him again. "Sorry," she said on a sigh. "I'm just…"

"I know," Russell stopped her. "But with this continuing attitude you're holding me up as well as everyone else. Ecklie's already freaked out that you're still involved with the case, so you won't be getting any more warnings."

"Okay…" she said, holding up defeated hands. "I'll keep quiet."

With his hands gesturing in front of him, Russell began to pace, eyes directed at the floor. "Draper gets back…" he began his theory, "…and Basderic arrives…"

"How did Basderic know he was here?" Nick stopped him.

Instantly Russell clicked his fingers and pointed to Brass just as he walked into the room. The captain stopped and gawked at him.

"What?" Brass questioned with a frown, confused.

"Phone records for the last twenty four hours. I need them at the lab and I need them an hour ago. Any calls Tom Draper has made from either his home number or a cell that can be traced to him."

Brass opened his mouth then closed it again. He hadn't even managed to get any idea of where they stood. He shrugged. "Fine…be right back."

"I would suspect Draper called Basderic," Russell continued. "Because by now he's pissed off and knows he's gotten himself into one hell of a mess. He knew Joan had been arrested because he saw her and if he did rent the car for Basderic, I would wager you your bottom dollar that he didn't know his 'so called friend' was going to use it in a kidnapping."

Nick shrugged. "Why would you say that? What's to say the two of them weren't in it together?"

"Why would they be?" Sara interjected. "This is about Basderic getting to _me_. Tom Draper wouldn't have a clue about his personal vendetta because that's something _Ronald_ simply wouldn't share. Not the details anyway. He's not that kind of a man."

"Plus, when he was questioned, I believed his reaction about Grissom," Finn added. "He didn't know about the kidnapping. Even if he let Basderic into the lot and took the car, he had no idea Grissom was going to get abducted. Obviously, he didn't know his friend as well as he thought."

Nick frowned. "Well, he kept a pretty straight face when we were checking the CCTV at the airport. We _named_ Basderic and Draper didn't even flinch. He must have known then something was up. He saw Grissom's kidnapping on the video just like we did. So that makes him a damn good liar and accessory in my opinion."

Finn thought for a moment. "You're right. He must have known something then but he'd just started his shift. Not easy to break away from airport security when you're on duty so he must have contacted Basderic when he clocked off. Too suspicious otherwise, plus, someone could have overheard him at work. There were cops and CSI everywhere because of Grissom's abduction. I'm sure he did as little as possible to arouse any suspicion no matter how edgy he was."

Russell continued his assessment. "So Basderic knew Tom was pissed, who wouldn't be? He could've been dragged into a kidnapping and something like that merits a lot of jail time. I'd suspect Basderic knew his friend wasn't going to keep quiet about what he knew in order to save his own ass."

"So he decided to make sure," Greg said.

The supervisor nodded. "Exactly. And he really did make sure, didn't he?"

Finn looked around. "Well,we haven't pulled any of Basderic's prints yet so he came well prepared. How do you think he got in?"

"The back door was open when we arrived," Sara said, rubbing the back of her neck. "We came through the garage. That was open too."

"Pity Draper wasn't a bit more security conscious," Nick added. "Not great for a security guard, huh? It just might have saved his life."

Shaking his head, Russell placed his hands on the kitchen table, leaning to take some of the weight off his tired feet. "Doubt it. He would have let Basderic in anyway."

Nick shrugged. "So Basderic gets in and…"

"He brings his friend a little tipple," Finn suggested and Russell nodded as she continued. "There was a glass with liquor in it but no bottle and a glass on the side which had been bleached out. Basderic brought the booze, poured two glasses to entice his friend but our suspect never took a sip." She pointed in the direction of the living room. "I think those pills were left there to make us deduce that Draper took them voluntarily or put them in his drink purposely to make it look like the alcohol wasn't actually tainted, which I suspect it was."

Russell gave an enthusiastic nod. "I agree. Hopefully, the autopsy can determine whether the pills were consumed or whether the drug was in the alcohol."

"So Basderic took the bottle with him…" Sara concluded.

"I'd say so," the senior CSI answered, pushing back from the table.

Sara scratched her head, thoughts milling around in her brain. This was all well and good but it didn't get them any closer to finding her husband.

"So Draper is all whacked out on whatever…" Greg waved his hand, "…drug that was. Basderic got him upstairs, used the ladder from the garage and hung him?"

Brass returned. "So what have I missed?" he asked. Every head turned to him. The captain's brow rose. "Quite a lot by the looks of it."

"Basderic killed Draper," Sara sighed. "That's about it in a nutshell."

"Oh…not much then," Brass retorted. "We can prove that can we?"

Russell's tongue worked over his lips and he sighed. "Realistically, at this moment in time, it's mainly theory but at least we know where we stand."

Sara snorted. "Same old," she grumbled. "We know he did it but we just don't have the evidence right?"

"We soon might," Russell replied. "Greg, Nick, Jim, you're coming with me. We're going to pick up Mr. Basderic and search his house."

Blinking hard, Sara pushed herself from the counter. She looked stunned. "_What did you just say_?"

He gave her half a smile. "You heard me right. Ecklie is authorizing the warrant."

Sara shook her head. "_But_…how did you manage that? I thought we didn't have anything solid."

"The spike," the supervisor said.

She frowned. "What?"

"Remember in the basement, you found a metal spike? It matches the one in the video used on Grissom, or it's very similar. It gives me enough for a search considering that was Basderic's room and we suspect his involvement. Plus all this is enough to tease him with _and_ he knew the deceased. Plus, I have a suspicion his phone number will come up on Draper's records. That's more than enough…"

Sara's face suddenly turned a brighter shade of crimson and Greg took a step back, noticing. "_Why the hell didn't you say anything about this before_?!" she shouted.

Russell also took a step back and everyone looked on a little shocked at Sara's burst of anger. The supervisor's mouth opened but he didn't have chance to say anything before she continued.

"All the _God damned time_ we've wasted and we could have searched his place before now?!"

Russell thumped his fists to his hips and glared her down as Greg took her arm.

"Sara, calm down," Greg urged.

Pushing off him, she fought the battle of stares with her supervisor.

Russell took a breath, trying to remain calm and professional. "The time wasn't right until now, Sara. Just a spike wouldn't have been enough and with everything else that has happened in the last few hours, _it slipped my mind_. I'm sorry…"

"_It slipped your mind?_"

He worked his tongue into his cheek. "Look…" he growled now, taking a step towards her but she stood her ground, "…If you hadn't run off from the lab after seeing the video, it might not have, so don't you dare start preaching to me, Sidle!" Anger wafted off him as he stood nose-to-nose with Sara.

"Okay, _that's enough_," Nick said moving quickly towards his colleague, taking Sara's arm and pulling. "We're going to the car." She tried to pull free but he didn't relent. "_Now, Sara_," he demanded. "Before you end up where you don't want to be."

Sara wasn't happy but she allowed Nick to take her outside.

Russell stood shaking his head. "I swear, _that woman_…"

Brass puffed out his cheeks, sticking his thumbs into his belt. "Don't take it personally," he advised. "We can all understand where she's at."

"Sure," Russell sighed even though that thin line of patience had now been completely scrubbed out. He rubbed his forehead. "Did you sort the phone records?"

"Yep," Brass replied. "They'll be ready at the lab within the hour."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The group exited the house and Russell spotted Sara leaning against his SUV. "Finn, take Sara back to the lab and please keep her out of trouble. One slip up and Ecklie will eat her alive."

Finn laughed, clasping her bag of evidence a little tighter. "That will be the day when I see anyone get Sara Sidle by the throat."

He narrowed his eyes at her and her smile faltered but didn't disappear altogether. "Sara, go with Finn back to the lab. Guy's let's go."

"No chance of me coming with you then?" Sara replied, mockery evident in her tone.

He looked surprised she'd asked that question even if it was sarcastically. "Errr, no. None at all. And you know that."

"Fine," she huffed and turned to walk away.

"Sara…wait…"

"Yeah?" she sighed, turning back to glare him.

"Basderic told Ecklie about the shooting at his house."

Her eyes widened. "Oh…"

"I denied knowledge. The ball on that one is now in your court…"

Sara swallowed. Russell was _actually_ lying? _For her_? "Thank you," she whispered, now embarrassed as to how she'd reacted just a few short minutes ago. "Look…I'm sor…"

He shook his head, stopping her. "You don't have to say it. I'll see you in a little while."

Nodding, she stepped back so he could get into his SUV.

"You ready?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Sara replied.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell gave the door three simple taps with his knuckles and stood back.

A few seconds later it opened and there Basderic stood. He shook his head, the pupils in his blue eyes dilating. "Now what?" he snapped, his glance shifting from Russell to Greg, Nick, Brass and back to Russell "Don't you think I've had enough harassment for one day? It would be nice if I could be left in peace to get some sleep. Do you know what time it is?"

Brass worked his jaw. "Yeah, you've had a busy, busy day…And I thought you got plenty of rest when you were released?"

Basderic frowned at him.

Russell smiled and held up the warrant. "This is a warrant to search your house, Ronald," the senior CSI advised him chirpily. "And we require your presence down at the station again. So…" He stepped to the side and held out his arm. "If you would like to go with this officer, we'll see you down there in just a little while."

Basderic looked over Russell's shoulder to the cop waiting behind them. He wasn't an idiot. He knew a car had been following him and that cop had been outside his house ever since he'd returned home. "_You have got to be joking_," he growled snatching the warrant from Russell's hand. "On what grounds do you have to search my home or even dare to waste anymore of my time?"

"We're still investigating the abduction of Gil Grissom…"

"_I've already told you_…" Basderic gritted his teeth, throwing the warrant back at Russell, "…I had nothing to do with that."

The older man smiled again. "_And_ the death of Tom Draper…"

Basderic took a step back, looking stunned. "_What_? Tom's dead?" Russell nodded. The younger man seemed to struggle for words. He shook his head. "How?"

"We'll explain it all to you downtown," Nick said. "Once we're done here that is."

"Oh but…" Russell cut in, "…you could answer one quick question for me. When was the last time you saw Tom Draper?"

Basderic's expression remained unimpressed but he kept his cool. "I'm not telling you anything without my attorney present."

Russell smirked. "I thought you might say that. But, if you please, we require some privacy. And you shouldn't have to wait too long. I'm very keen to speak with you again."

Now the younger man smirked. "Firstly, I'm calling my lawyer before I go anywhere and secondly, my sister is asleep. I can't leave her here on her own…"

That was a problem and Russell looked to each of his team in turn. "I'm sure she'll be fine and I'll make sure a female officer stays here until you get back."

"I'm not happy about that," Basderic snapped.

"Are you ever happy about anything?" Greg asked. "And do you really think we care?"

"Enough, Greg," Russell warned. Greg pouted, turning away.

"I want to drive my own car," Basderic said. "I'm sick of cop cars. I had enough of that while I was in custardy. Plus, I can get straight back here once you idiots are finished wasting more of my time."

Oh, Brass didn't like that comment. "Idiots, huh?" he tapped his fire arm. "I'm sure I could teach you a good lesson or two."

Basderic noticeably swallowed.

"We're wasting time," Russell mumbled to his co-worker, stopping the conversation from going any further. "Fine, Ronald. You can drive your own car but an officer accompanies you."

"Fine," Basderic agreed. "But I'm calling my lawyer first…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The female CSI's knew Robbins was working on Drapers body so after dropping off the evidence to get processed Finn and Sara headed to the autopsy room. Donning gloves and jackets they both entered to find Robbins and David still looking over the body.

"We got anything yet?" Finn asked, snapping her right glove a little tighter.

Both men looked up and Robbins instantly looked to Sara. He'd heard about the tape although he didn't want to see it. He had a close connection to Grissom and that would be a little more than he would be able to handle.

"How are you doing?" he asked her.

Sara worked her jaw, stepping close to the table. She shrugged, swallowing the hefty lump which had suddenly formed in her throat. "How do you think?" she grumbled. "Certain people aren't even happy I'm still working on the case…"

Doc sighed. "Well, hopefully I can give you some information that might help."

Finn rounded the table. "Cause of death?" she asked.

"Asphyxiation," Robbins replied. "Sadly the obvious choice but..." he ran his finger over the thin red line covering the deceased neck, "…he didn't struggle. There are no defensive marks here at all."

"Suicide?" Sara questioned.

"Doubtful," the doctor returned. "Anyone hanging while conscious would have kicked and fought. At least a little."

David smiled. "That's what I said," he remarked proudly.

"So you're saying he wasn't conscious?" Finn asked.

"He has high levels of GHB in his system." Robbins held out his hand and David handed him a scalpel. "It's in his blood and I'm about to find out whether he has any in his stomach."

Sara backed away a couple of paces as he made the incision. "GHB? She asked. "Gamma hydroxybutanoic acid? You mean the date rape drug?" She looked to Finn. "Was he on a date?"

Finn smiled, at least Sara still had a little humor.

"It's known to be used for that, yes," Robbins clarified, his cutting complete. "Give me a hand?" he asked and David nodded, leaning forwards to pull apart the flesh of Draper's abdomen.

Sara's nose turned as the doctor began slicing away inside the body. She wasn't really in the mood for blood and guts.

That must have been what was on the coffee table," Finn realized "I knew there was something illegal about the pills."

Robbins looked up from his search for the organ. "They can be taken to treat insomnia, clinical depression, narcolepsy, but are only usually given out in hospitals and it's not all that common that they are prescribed these days.

"Wait…" Sara continued, "…that's a pretty potent drug. If he'd taken it, no matter in what form, would he have had the capability to hang himself?"

David nodded towards a metal bowl on the table. "Would you grab the bowl please?" he asked Finn.

She did so quickly and David answered Sara's question. "If he worked pretty fast," the younger man said. "But probably not. Within minutes he'd be very unsteady on his feet and struggle to climb up anything let alone be able to co-ordinate a noose around his neck."

"He didn't take the pills," Finn said. "They _were_ a ruse and left to make it look like he did."

Robbins's tongue poked out and slithered across his bottom lip as he dissected Draper and with a final heavy tug, out came the stomach. "That's what I'm trying to clarify."

He dropped the organ and it plopped into the dish with squelch. Sara felt her own gut turn. Even though there wasn't much left in her stomach now, she felt nauseous again.

Carrying the bowl across to his work table, Robbins placed it down while the others followed, watching on as he examined his specimen. "Well…there doesn't seem to be any signs of pills in here. Usually there's at least foam as he hadn't had chance to digest or pass the narcotic before his death. If he'd taken it that is."

"Which he hadn't," Sara clarified.

"No," Robbins confirmed.

The two CSI's exchanged a glance. "The liquor was tainted," Finn reaffirmed. "He was drugged."

Sara nodded her head towards the door. "Well, it's in his blood so let's go prove it was in the booze."

**A/N: Are they getting closer to Basderic? Will they finally get something out of him? Tick…tock… Thoughts please :)**


	30. We all know he did this

**A/N: Well, Evil Hat thinks it's time to pick up the pace so hopefully this should start the ball rolling. The kettle is on and boiling point is get near…**

**Thanks for the reviews, support and comments. Please keep all your opinions coming.**

**Mucho thanks to Calim11 for another great beta. An honor having you on board :)**

**So, let's see how little patience Sara has left… tick tock… **

Chapter 29

With Basderic out of their hair, the team hurried to search his lodgings knowing the clock was running out fast.

Greg started in the kitchen, Brass the living room and Russell and Nick moved to what they'd determined to be their suspect's bedroom. They knew Emily was in the room next to his because Basderic pointed it out before he left. Russell decided to leave her room until last to cause her minimal disturbance and discomfort.

Russell quietly pushed Basderic's bedroom door open, flicking on the light before he entered. Nick followed, moving to the drapes covering the windows. He opened them, allowing the new born daylight to filter through.

The senior CSI looked at his watch. The break of day no doubt cranked up his blood pressure. It was almost _6:30am_. "We've only got three and a half hours before the estate is out of our grasp."

Nick nodded, moving to the bed. "Then we'd better get looking," he replied.

He glanced around taking mental notes. The color of the room was beige, very plain. No patterns on the wall just simple paint. One single picture hung over the bed of a dragon on a mountain top, green and silver in color. "Top of the world, huh?" the CSI mumbled turning away from the picture. He noticed Basderic seemed to have a thing for dragons. There were sculptures and ornaments all over the house.

Moving to the closet, Russell pulled open the doors and yanked the flashlight off his belt. Flicking it on, his eyes fell to the floor and the pair of brown shoes sitting there. Crouching down, he recognized them as the ones Basderic was wearing when he was first brought in for questioning.

He flipped them over to check the soles. "Hey take a look at this…" he said over his shoulder and Nick was quickly by his side. Russell's finger pointed into the tread of the shoe. "Granite…"

Nick shrugged. "So? We know that's from Emily's place and he's there all the time. He's bound to have some stuck in his shoes."

Russell shook his head. "He was wearing these when we first picked him up, I'm sure of it because I asked him if I could take a look at his shoes and he said no. That was before we found out about where the granite came from."

"And?" Nick questioned, not feeling inspired.

"And…" Russell pushed himself up, "…Ronald said he went straight home after he was released. If he didn't go to the estate before we picked him up yesterday afternoon, how did he get this in his shoes?"

Nick thought for a second, his brow instantly rising. He snapped his camera into action, getting several shots of the shoes. "Very good point," he returned.

The supervisor handed the shoes to his worker. "It will be a good point of conversation and I can't wait to hear what kind of explanation he comes up with. Bag them."

Doing as asked, Nick bagged and tagged the shoes.

They searched the rest of the room, not finding anything else of much use.

"You know, I don't think he's going to leave us much here," Nick said, looking under the bed. "He must have known we'd get around to searching in here at some point."

Russell nodded in agreement. "Sadly, I think you're right. I'm sure he keeps all his secrets locked away. More than likely does all his dirty work in the same place he's got Grissom stashed." The supervisor pointed behind him. "Let's see how Greg's getting on, get done with Emily's room and get back to the lab."

"You got it," Nick agreed. "I'm keen to get started on that piece of trash."

They found Greg checking out the lounge.

"Anything of interest?" Russell asked.

Greg looked up from the drawer he was inspecting. He pointed to a bag over to his right.

"Scotch," he said. "Two unopened bottles. May not be important but it could be the same brand we found at Draper's. May give us a link…" He shrugged. "Maybe…"

It wasn't a big thing but it could be something Russell could use if he needed to. "Anything else?" the older man asked.

Blowing out a breath, Greg shook his head. "No. Nothing. Place is immaculate. Even cleaner than Sara's and that's saying _a lot_."

Russell sighed. They weren't exactly finding much. "Okay…let's hurry this up. I want to be back at the lab within the hour…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara and Finn entered processing to find Morgan working on the stuff from Tom Draper's. She heard her colleagues enter and offered them a smile.

"Just what you guys suspected," she said holding up a tube containing some of the booze found at their victim's place. "Liquor is tainted. High levels of GHB."

The two superior CSI's exchanged a knowing look.

"So the pills were left to make it look like Draper had either taken them, dissolved them in his own drink or both. But we know neither happened because it would have knocked him out before he had the chance to get up the stairs and hang himself," Finn was finally able to say with confidence.

"Murder one," Sara added.

Morgan plucked another bag from the table behind her. "This is the same sticky lettering used on the other documents. Exactly the same. But there are no prints on anything."

Curling a stray hair behind her ear, Sara stared at the stationary. She shuddered, the image of her divorce paper popping into her mind's eye and then her husband…screaming, over and over. She swallowed heavily.

"You okay?" Finn asked, noticing Sara seemed to drift off.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Just…" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. And, I'm not surprised about the prints. That stuff was planted…"

"I agree," Finn responded. "All nice and set up. Sadly, Mr. Basderic left one too many clues behind this time so we can at least prove it wasn't suicide."

"But we can't prove it was him," Sara huffed.

Finn gave her a sad smile. She didn't even need to reply to the question.

Morgan placed a gentle hand on Sara's shoulder. "But we will," she encouraged.

"I'm…" Sara pointed her thumb over her shoulder, "…going to see if Archie has picked anything up from the video or audio. There's nothing else left until Russell gets back."

Finn nodded. "I'll come with you."

"Last time I checked…" Morgan started before they left, "…he hadn't found anything yet…"

Sara bowed her head, leaving the room without another word.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Russell, his CSI's and Brass arrived back at the lab just before _8am_. They only had two hours left now before they had to back out of the estate and the supervisor hadn't been given any word that anything had been found that could lead them to Grissom. However, now that it was light, he was more hopeful and he had one last trick up his sleeve to maybe see things that a normal eye on the ground couldn't see.

They entered the main lab area and Russell started spurting out orders. "Nick, go find me those phone records. You're coming with me to talk to Basderic and bring the shoes and booze with you."

The younger man nodded. "On it," he replied and was away.

"Greg, go find Morgan and meet me at my office in five minutes. You're going for a ride."

Greg frowned. "Huh?"

"Now that it's light, we can see better. Time to get a chopper in the air."

With a smile on his face, Greg nodded enthusiastically. That was one of the best ideas he'd heard all day. He spotted Morgan in processing and quickly scuttled away to inform her.

"The chopper might see a lot we can't from the ground," Brass said as they continued walking. "Especially given the size of the estate."

"Exactly," Russell returned. The second the supervisor turned the corner towards his office, there was Hodges, heading towards him.

"Russell!" Hodges called.

Russell rolled his eyes. "What is it, David? I'm in a hurry and have a suspect to question." The supervisor didn't stop so Hodges walked alongside him.

"I thought you'd want to know about the spike from the house. I've already processed it…"

That got Russell's attention and he stopped, dead, giving Brass a hopeful glance.

Hodges shrugged. "I'm guessing you think it's important so I got right on it."

Working his tongue over the inside of his right cheek, Russell nodded. "It is. So give me some good news…"

Hodges nodded towards his lab. "Let me show you what I've got."

"Jim, can you let Sara and Finn know I'm back? I'll be at the interrogation room shortly."

Brass gave a nod and went to find his colleagues.

Russell followed Hodges to his lab and watched him pick up the bagged and tagged spike from the processing table. "This is not your ordinary tent peg. It's a tent stake and the lightest, full strength stake on the current market."

"Okay…" Russell frowned. "And?"

Hodges pointed up and down the bag. "It has a carbon core, for strength and durability, unlike regular pegs which are just made from aluminum. This is made more for heavy weather, ice, snow. That kind of thing. _It's strong_."

Russell pinched the bridge of his nose and Hodges quickly got that he was getting impatient and held out a hand, pleading for a little more time.

"I checked online and there are only three stores in Vegas that stock this particular kind of stake. Maybe because it's expensive or that not many people go snow camping in Nevada."

Now Russell perked up. He pointed to the metallic weapon. "Is it the same stake as on the video?"

The younger man dared a smile and reached back to his table. He picked up a photograph and held it next to the evidence bag. "Yes," he replied. "It's a pretty good double."

Russell looked from the stake to the photo and back again several times. "_Yes it is_," he confirmed with confidence. "I wonder what Mr. Basderic has to say about that?"

"You really think he's behind this?" Hodges questioned.

"Would you react to me the same way you've reacted to Sara if I said yes?"

Hodges bowed his head. "I'm not always right," he admitted.

"No one ever is, David," Russell replied. "_And yes_. I know he's behind this. Do you have the names of the places that sell the stakes?"

The younger man nodded and once more moved to his table, gathering a piece of paper this time. He held it out to his boss. "I guess they won't be open yet but…"

"No they won't," Russell moaned. He took the bag and the picture from Hodges as well as the addresses. "I'm going to need these…" He looked the bag over again. "Any prints?"

Hodges nodded again. "One set."

"Please tell me…"

"Your main suspect," Hodges confirmed.

Russell well and truly smiled now. "Excellent."

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The CSI supervisor rushed towards Ecklie's office as fast as his legs would carry him. He found his superior rummaging through a filing cabinet.

"I need a chopper," Russell said, by passing any pleasantries. Ecklie spun around and frowned. "I don't have time to beg for it. This is going to be our best way of seeing every nook and cranny of that estate and you know it."

The sheriff's right brow inclined. "I didn't argue," he replied, picking up the phone and punching in several numbers.

Russell looked on a little surprised as Ecklie put in an order to call the chopper to the PD roof top.

"It will be here in ten minutes," the younger man said replacing the receiver.

"Thanks," Russell said. "I'm…" he took a breath, "…about to interrogate Basderic. I thought you'd want to know."

Ecklie worked his jaw. "Do you have much? Real proof, I mean?"

Russell held up the spike. "We're close…This matches the one used on Grissom and was found in Basderic's room on Emily's estate. I also pulled a pair of his shoes from his house with the same granite as we found earlier. Basderic had the shoes on when we first spoke to him and he said he hadn't been anywhere but his home. So the shoes place him at our possible crime scene and…"

"I've seen the phone records," Ecklie cut him off. "He spoke to Draper, _twice_…"

"Then we've got more than enough to warrant this chat then."

Ecklie moved around his desk and sat on the edge. "What about Sara? Where's she at right now? I spotted her a little while ago…"

"Brass has gone to find her. I'll keep my eye on her."

The sheriff didn't look convinced. "You better."

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Basderic waited impatiently in the interrogation room with his attorney, Mitch watching over the suspect.

Nick entered the room followed by Russell. The supervisor greeted Mitch with a nod and the cop kept his place by the door, closing it after the CSI's had entered. The younger investigator carried an assortment of items in a box and placed it onto the table before sitting.

Sara, accompanied by Finn and Brass, who was keeping a watchful eye on Sara, observed from the outside. All hoped this would lead to a breakthrough.

Greg and Morgan had left on the chopper not so long ago and all the team were keen to hear that they may well spot something on the estate from the air. If they didn't, then the Hicks place would surely be out of their grasp unless they got Basderic here and now.

"This is getting a little aggravating, don't you think, Mr. Russell?" Marshall Smith asked in the seat next to his employer. "How many times are you going to drag my client down here with unsupported accusations?"

Russell gave the attorney a callous smile. "I thought you would be happy with the work, Mr. Smith," the supervisor replied. "It seems your clients are dropping like flies, no? You started with four and now you only have two left…"

"I don't find that amusing," the younger man hit back. "Mr. Draper's death was unexpected, I find nothing funny in the fact."

"Not unexpected to everyone I'll bet," Nick said.

Marshall glared at him. "Another _accusation_?"

Basderic leaned towards his attorney. "Ignore him. They have nothing," he whispered. "Just let them carry on. I have nothing to hide and they can't prove a thing."

Nodding, Marshall took a breath and entwined his fingers together, laying his hands on the table.

"So let's hear it," Basderic insisted. "I'd like to get back to my sister as soon as possible."

Russell cleared his throat. "Can you tell me where you went after you left here earlier, Ronald? After your little altercation with my CSI in the parking lot?"

Basderic smiled. "There must be something about disputes that don't get reported, huh? Maybe we can call it even for Sara's little stunt at my house…"

The supervisor's eyes narrowed. "So, you're admitting you threatened her?"

"Hey…" Basderic held up his hands. "I'm admitting about as much as she is."

Russell sighed. "Whatever, that's not what I was asking. Where did you go after that?"

Pouting, Basderic sat back. "I went home. You yourself saw me there."

"You stayed there all night?"

Basderic nodded. "Yep, until I came back here to pick up Emily."

Nick pulled a pen from his pocket and tapped it onto the desk. "You got proof of that?"

Sniggering, Basderic leaned forward again. "You got proof that I didn't? And, I think we've had this discussion before. I live alone. So work it out for yourself. You prove I didn't stay there all night, just go right ahead..."

Russell thought for a second and knew he couldn't, so he moved on. He nodded to Nick and the CSI pulled several sheets of paper from the box in front of him.

"You were good friends with Tom Draper?" the level three asked.

Basderic nodded. "I was. Tom and I had known each other since high school."

"Did you kill him?"

Russell's head snapped around to his worker and all eyes on the outside widened, surprised at Nick's blunt and quick question. That usually came a little later after evidence had been laid out or at least the suspect was in a little trouble.

Nick glanced at his boss. "Why beat around the bush? We don't have time…"

"I hope there is some support for that question, Mr. Stokes," Marshall grumbled as his client remained silent. "Or we really are getting off on the wrong foot here…"

Basderic smiled. "It's okay," he said. "I'll answer the question. No, I did not kill Tom." He paused then, a look of curiosity suddenly brimming on his face. "Are you saying he was murdered?"

"We're still investigating," Russell replied. "But at this point in time, we are suspicious."

"Marshall said he hung himself…suicide," Basderic argued.

Now Russell gave the suspect a smile. "Not all hangings are suicide, Ronald." He looked back to Nick and the younger CSI continued.

"When was the last time you spoke to or saw your friend, Ronald?" Nick asked.

"Before I was arrested," Basderic replied. "A couple of days before that."

Nick scratched his right temple. "Sooo…you haven't spoken to him since you were released?"

Basderic shook his head. "No."

"Oh…"

Russell pulled out his cell and all occupants inside and outside the room watched him curiously. All apart from Nick, he knew exactly what he was going to do. Russell leaned over the table and punched in a number he read from the paper. He hit call and held the phone to his ear.

"What are you doing?" Marshall questioned. It was a little odd to be making a call in the middle of an interrogation.

Suddenly, a tune came from the suspect's side of the room and Basderic's eyes flickered. He squirmed a little and then sighed, reaching into his pocket to pull out his own cell phone which was now ringing.

"Answer it," Russell urged with a smirk. "It might be important…"

Basderic did not look amused. He hit ignore on the cell and dropped it onto the table. Folding his arms roughly across his chest he stared Russell down.

The supervisor's smile broadened and he hit end call. He pushed the piece of paper across the desk towards the suspect. "Explain to us how you received two phone calls from the deceased if you haven't spoken to him since you were released? To that very number I just dialed. _To your number_. One call, just before Tom Draper was brought in for questioning and one just after he was released. And don't say you didn't answer. The records _prove_ you did. You've had at least two conversations with him in the last 6 hours. _Why are you lying_, Ronald?"

Marshall looked to his client but Basderic didn't take his eyes from the senior CSI. "Ronald?" the attorney whispered.

"It's fine," Basderic spat. "I can handle this."

"Feel free," Nick replied, waving a hand, relaxing back in his chair. "We're all ears…"

"He'll have an excuse," Sara said to her colleagues on the outside. "And we won't be able to prove otherwise. You just watch…"

Indeed Basderic could devise an excuse for just about anything. He sighed and reached out to take the paper, just checking the numbers and call times recorded upon it. "Fine," he said. "Tom did call me. He called me twice. I didn't want to mention it because you would have dragged me back into that whole Grissom kidnapping thing again…"

Sara took a step closer to the glass at the mention of her husband's name. Brass watched her closely.

"And what did you talk about?" Russell probed.

Basderic shrugged. "He wanted help from me, okay?"

Russell and Nick exchanged a look. "Help for what?" Nick asked.

"I didn't ask when he first called me. He just said he needed a lawyer and he begged me to help him. He'd been struggling for money lately so I thought I'd help him out and asked Marshall to represent him."

"_You didn't even ask him why_?" Russell argued.

"No." The younger man shook his head. "My friends ask for help…I help them, it's as simple as that."

Nick grinned. "_You expect us to believe that_?" he laughed. "You didn't even ask him why he was in trouble?"

Basderic cleared his throat and looked away from the younger CSI. "I just told you, I didn't."

Sara clenched her fingers into tight balls. "He's lying," she mumbled.

Brass placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. He could feel the agitation oozing from her.

"So you gave him the use of your attorney without any explanation?" the supervisor continued with his argument, not believing the suspect.

"Yep," Basderic replied plainly.

Russell looked to Smith. "Do you concur with that?"

Marshall smiled. "I'm not the one being questioned here, Mr. Russell. Please keep your quizzing aimed at my client."

Gritting his teeth together, the supervisor could feel his frustration brewing. "Okay…" he sighed, "…so what about the second call? That was placed after he was released, what was that all about?"

"Tom told me he was in trouble. That he'd done something he probably shouldn't have and could use a friend. He asked me to go round to his place."

Russell puckered his lips. "And did you?"

"No. I had enough going on with both Emily and Joan being stuck in here. I had to come pick up my sister. I didn't have time to do anything else."

Pulling a notebook from his pocket, Russell checked a few items he'd jotted down. "You had plenty of time from the call being made to picking your sister up. You could have gone to your friends before you returned here."

Basderic's nostrils flared. "Well, I didn't," he growled. "I told him it would have to wait and I would see him at lunch time. I'd got too much on my mind already and I wasn't about to trek all that way in the middle of the night when I knew I had to collect Emily."

Sara shook her head. "This is bullshit. _All lies_…"

Brass cleared his throat as Ecklie stepped up to join the team. Sara sensed him as well as the sudden thickness in the air. Her head slowly turned and she gazed at her superior. He looked sympathetic and that surprised her.

"The team at the house still haven't found anything," the sheriff began and Sara's head dropped, her heart strumming a little faster than it should. "The chopper should arrive there any time now. Are we getting anywhere here?" he asked.

She looked back up to him. "Not yet," she said solemnly. "But we all know he did this…"

Ecklie slipped his hands into his pants pockets and turned to watch through the glass. "Knowing isn't proving," he replied glumly.

"We can prove Draper didn't kill himself," Finn cut in, fighting Sara's corner.

The sheriff smiled keeping his attention squarely fixed on their suspect. "But can we prove Basderic _did_?"

Sara swallowed hard and looked back to the glass. She couldn't answer that question with any positivity.

"So let's move on," Basderic suggested. "I spoke to Tom. Nothing against the law about that."

"There is when you're lying during a murder investigation," Nick growled.

"_So he was_ murdered?" Basderic countered.

Russell licked his bottom lip. "Okay, Ronald. I'm going to cut right to the chase here. I don't believe you and you damn well know we don't have time to play around with you. You're really enjoying this aren't you? You love to see us wasting what precious little time we have left. Do you get pleasure out of seeing another human being suffer? Does it make you feel good?"

Basderic snorted. "Are you referring to Sara Sidle? You're still trying to get me for her husband's kidnapping?"

"_You're damn right I am_," Russell snarled. "Because _I know_ you took him. _I know you did.._."

The suspect grinned and turned to the glass. "Is she watching?" he asked. "Maybe she could…" His eyes glistened and his smile grew, "…take a little snapshot of herself so I can see how sad she really is. I bet she photograph's really well…"

Sara's eyes widened. He was hinting at the pictures of her they'd found. "Son of a bitch!" she shouted, bolting to the door and making a grab for the handle.

The door flew open but the team was fast to respond and Brass grabbed her just before she managed to get far into the room.

"No, Sara!" the lawman shouted as she fought and he literally lifted her from the floor to prevent her getting away from him.

Basderic slowly stood, making eye contact with her. His smile remained.

"Bastard!" she hollered.


	31. It was up to her

**A/N: As I seem to be ahead of myself with chapters I've decided to post a little sooner than I'd planned. The next one is ready so gimmie lots of feedback and I might post the next one early too :) You may want it quick after readying this, lol. Hat seems to have given Sara a little pro plus…**

**Gracious thanks to Calim11. You are an awesome beta. Keep giving me that red girl! Lol. **

**So let's get this party started! **

Chapter 30

Russell shot to his feet and threw a finger in the direction of the doorway. "Get her out of here, Jim!" he shouted to the captain.

Sara kicked wildly, doing her upmost to break away from the lawman. Both Ecklie and Finn stepped up to help but Brass was strong and managed to swing her back out of the room.

"Let me go!" she demanded, still kicking. "He knows where Gil is and we're just sitting here letting him walk all over us!"

Ecklie glared Russell down before backing out of the room and closing the door. The senior CSI closed his eyes and shook his head. She'd well and truly blown it now. He sucked in a breath and turned back to the suspect. "That's exactly what you were hoping for wasn't it? You knew she'd react like that."

Basderic shrugged. "I didn't ask for anything and I didn't do anything wrong."

"Get her away from this room," Ecklie ordered as Sara continued to fight for her freedom.

Brass winced as he heaved her down the corridor, he was getting too old for this. Finn followed behind, unsure of what was going to happen.

"Jim, let me go!" Sara demanded.

The workers around them quickly scuttled out of the way as the cop and CSI fought a battle for control.

"Here…" Ecklie said and Brass stopped, managing a look over his shoulder to the sheriff.

Moving swiftly, Ecklie reached into Brass's belt and grabbed his cuffs. He managed to snap one around Sara's right wrist and she stopped fighting for a second, looking to him in disbelief. "What…."

"The bench…" Ecklie pointed to the furniture close by them and Brass maneuvered himself so Sara was by it. The senior lawman snapped the other half of the cuffs around the bench arm and Brass released her, quickly stepping back.

Taking several well needed breaths, the captain wiped his sweaty brow on the sleeve of his jacket as Sara gawked at him. She looked to and tugged at the cuffs, her brow contorting into a deep and displeased frown.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she shouted.

Ecklie straightened the collar of his shirt, tightening his tie a touch. "You can stay right there until I decide what the hell to do with you."

Sara shook her head. "You can't leave me here!"

The sheriff cleared his throat. "Yes, I can and I will until you calm down. Better here than in a cell, right? And if you carry on, that's _exactly_ where I'm going to put you."

Sara tugged again. "Agghhh!" she howled. "Take these damn things off! My husband may have just a few hours before he dies from shock and you have me tied to a fucking bench!?"

Ecklie nodded down the corridor. "You two, step away. She needs to be alone for a while so she can realize just how little patience I have left."

Finn looked to Brass, nodding even if reluctantly. "Let's get back to the interrogation."

They stepped away, although Finn gave Sara a look over her shoulder before Brass tugged her arm and urged her to move. "This is so wrong," the CSI mumbled.

Ecklie gave Sara one last look before backing away.

Sara was seething but she slumped down on to the bench and looked around. Everyone was staring at her. Hodges, halfway down the corridor, poked his head out of his lab. "_What_?!" she shouted angrily, once again yanking on the cuffs. "How would any of you feel, huh? _What would you do_?!"

Hodges bowed his head and disappeared back into his work space. Everyone else looked away, getting on with their tasks at hand knowing messing with Ecklie's decisions in the lab wasn't the best of moves no matter whether they agreed with him or not.

Sara was so angry but she couldn't do anything now but sit and wait. And that made her even angrier. She shook her head, closing her eyes. They were never going to find him…

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The chopper, carrying Greg and Morgan whizzed over the Hicks estate, swift and low. Branches on trees waved ferociously as the vehicles airstream caused the timber into a merry dance as it passed by. The law enforcement on the ground below looked up as it flew overhead and Greg counted at least twenty people searching the grounds around the house and extended buildings.

"You see anything?" Greg asked through the head gear, shouting a little louder than he probably should.

Morgan looked through the window as Greg floated his glance between the glass and the thermal imaging computer he had in front of him.

"No!" Morgan replied, the rotor blades above them loud, chopping through the fresh Vegas morning.

Greg pointed towards the barn. "Over there," he directed the pilot. "Lots of ground we didn't see last night. Behind the building…"

"You got it," the pilot responded, pulling on his control to veer to the right.

"If Grissom is buried underground, we should be able to pick him up on the monitor," Greg said, returning his glance to the screen.

Morgan gave him a sad look. "Only if he's not deep down. He'll need to be close to the surface or we won't pick him up."

Greg sighed. She was right. "Well, maybe we'll get lucky. Just a little bit of luck, that's all we need." He looked back through the window. "Come on Grissom…._where are you_?"

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Russell attempted to gather his thoughts and pointed behind Basderic. "Sit back down," he ordered.

The younger man did as told. "You really should get her some help you know? I think she's a little…_crazy_."

Biting down on his bottom lip, Russell sat and so did Nick. "Let's get back to where we left off," Russell said.

"Knock yourself out," Basderic returned sarcastically. "I believe you were accusing me of kidnapping again…"

Russell tapped himself on the nose as he sat, "…I find it interesting how you got a reaction out of Sara just then. And that's because you left those pictures for us to find…. Now that, could very well be your first big mistake."

Marshall swiped a hand through his hair. "What pictures?" he questioned, looking to the supervisor and then to his client.

Basderic just shrugged. "I've no idea what he's talking about."

"_You know_, Ronald…" Russell urged. "The photos you took of Sara that night you murdered Taylor Wynard…"

The suspect laughed. "Now you're pushing it," he replied. "Acquitted, remember?"

"Well…" Russell leaned forwards. "Between you and me," he whispered. "We both know you're guilty and _I know _that the pictures _were_ taken by you."

Basderic swallowed, his smugness fading.

"You see," the older man continued. "Sara didn't wear that special outfit for nothing and she remembers that the only time she wore it, was _that_ night at the hotel. That same night you broke into her room and…"

"Okay, that's enough," Marshall stopped the conversation. "Now we either get back to the point at hand or we're leaving. My client was released of any charge involving the murder of Taylor Wynard. Now, you either drop it or find yourself in very, very hot water, Mr. Russell. Move on and do it now."

Russell found the irritated look on Basderic's face quite amusing. For the first time, the supervisor felt he had rocked the suspect a tad. Best to keep that momentum going. He reached back into the box and pulled out the shoes he'd taken from the house. Pushing the shoes into the middle of the table, he pointed at them. "Recognize those?"

Curling his nose, Basderic glanced at the footwear. "They're mine," he replied flatly. "You obviously took them from my closet. Are they guilty? Did they kidnap someone?"

"Very funny," Nick said. "They aren't the accused here but someone who wore them may very well have done a little abducting…"

Basderic folded his arms, relaxing back against his chair. "It's a pair of shoes, it's not a getaway car or a loaded pistol."

Russell licked his lips. "Refresh my memory here a little, Ronald, would you? Earlier, I asked you what you did when you were released this morning. Can you remember what you said?"

"I went home," Basderic was quick with his reply. "I went to bed."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Russell responded. "So tell me then…" He flipped the bag over, pointing to the sole of the shoe, "…how did this granite get in your shoe?"

Snorting, Basderic leaned forwards to get a closer look at what Russell was alluding to. "It's just a stone," he replied.

Dropping the shoes, Russell gave Basderic a serious look. "Now that's where you're wrong. It's not just any stone. It's exactly the same type of stone used to gravel your sister's estate. Now, can you tell me how you got that in your shoes if you didn't go to your sister's place and just went straight home after your acquittal?"

"This is very weak, Mr. Russell," Marshall cut in. "Thousands of homes and public areas in Nevada, no…the entire country use granite on their properties. Ronald could have stepped in some _anywhere_. At the court house, on the road. So, I'm afraid your attempt to place him somewhere he said he wasn't is falling flat."

Russell bit down on his tongue.

"Unless you can prove to me right now, _that_ particular stone did actually come from the estate and does not match _any_ other possible brand, then the matter is closed," Marshall ended the argument and Basderic smirked.

Nick shook his head, realizing they weren't getting anywhere. Again. Basderic really was something else. A lot of suspects would just cave at probing like this or at least let something slip.

Clearing his throat, the supervisor placed the shoes back in the box. Things weren't exactly going as he'd hoped.

"I want those back," Basderic said cockily. "You better not damage them."

Russell fought the remark he wanted to give back and took another item from the box. "Okay, let's try this one then," he retorted. "If you think you're so clever…" He placed the tent stake down onto the table. "Explain to me what this is…"

Now Basderic's eyes narrowed as he looked at the metallic object. He shrugged. "I don't know, you tell me," he replied uninterested. "You seem to have all the answers or at least the accusations so…continue."

Holding out his hand to his colleague Russell waited for Nick to reach into the box and hand him the photo which had been taken from the video footage. Russell pushed it across the desk with so much force it almost flew over the other side. Marshall slammed his hand down to prevent the picture skidding off the furniture and both the attorney and suspect looked down at the graphic image before them.

"You've seen that before, Mr. Smith," Russell implied. "It was taken from the video you saw."

After a quick look at the photograph of the impaled hand, Basderic swiftly looked away. "_What is this_?" he questioned. "That's pretty disgusting."

"Yeah, it is isn't it?" Nick shot at him. "How did it feel to make that happen?"

Basderic shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"_You know_ that photo was taken from the very footage you made, _don't you_? The film of you torturing Gil Grissom," Russell continued. "And you know damn well that's his hand. Staked…brutalized. He's dying, Ronald. Do you have _any_ compassion or do you _really_ hate Sara _that_ much?"

Pushing the photo back across the table, Basderic fluffed a sigh. "You're sick," he grumbled. "I didn't do that and I know nothing about a video…"

Nick picked up the spike. "This matches, _exactly_ matches the stakes used to drive through Grissom's hands. We all watched it, we all heard him scream." He looked to Marshall. "Even your attorney..."

Marshall squirmed and looked uncomfortable.

"So what?" Basderic questioned. "Doesn't mean I did anything."

The younger CSI smiled. "This…" He shook the bag, "…was found in _your_ room in your sister's house. Care to explain that?"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The helicopter circled the estate for a third time and Greg looked at his watch. It was almost _9am_. "I'm just not seeing _anything_," he griped. "There are no hidden buildings anywhere, nothing's come up on thermal. The ground is wide open so it's not like we could have missed something." He sighed heavily. "I don't know what to do now…"

"Maybe he isn't here…" Morgan suggested.

Greg looked out of the window again, his hope fading fast. He knew after what Grissom had been through, his former boss wouldn't have much left in him. How was he going to tell Sara they hadn't found anything?

"What are you thinking?" Morgan asked him.

He shook his head. "I'm thinking…we're missing something. Sara believes he's here and so do I."

Morgan shrugged. "_Where_?" she questioned, looking all around her. "They've found nothing on the ground and we've seen nothing from up here. He's just not here, Greg."

Bowing his head, Greg tapped the top of the computer. "I'm not giving up. We stay until we're told to leave. Take us back around will you?" he asked with a purpose.

The pilot nodded. "You got it."

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Basderic cleared his throat. "That was in my work room right?" He didn't deny the accusation, in fact he sought clarification.

"Yes," Russell replied.

The suspect shrugged. "It was a gift. It's been in there for ages."

Nick fought a grin. "A gift? One tent stake? What were you going to do? Go camping with a tissue?"

"Very funny," Basderic snapped. "I have no idea whether you use it for camping or not. Tom gave it to me. He thought I'd be able to use it for my modelling. He suggested I make a flag pole out of it for my track. I just hadn't gotten around to doing anything with it."

Russell and Nick exchanged a glance. Both looked as unimpressed as the other.

"You're saying Tom Draper gave the stake to you?" Russell questioned.

"That's what I just said," Basderic confirmed.

The supervisor shook his head. "Then why are only your prints on it? You're lying. Again."

Grinning, Basderic stretched, working his head from side to side to alleviate some of the tension. "Prove it," he said. "It was given to me in a bag. I didn't check for finger prints when I took it out of the plastic."

The older man's jaw worked with annoyance. Basderic really did have an answer for everything. Handing the spike back to his subordinate Russell sat back and took a moment to think but he was interrupted before he got much of a chance.

"Is this all you have, Mr. Russell?" Marshall asked. "Just more unsubstantiated accusations?" He shook his head.

Russell frowned but he knew it would be a different story if they could clarify Basderic had bought the spikes. But they couldn't do that until the stores opened and being Sunday, they wouldn't until _11am_ and even then, there was no guarantee they would finger him.

"I'll be back in a minute," he said standing.

Nick looked a little confused, unsure of what was happening but he nodded and watched his boss vanish through the door.

Closing the door, Russell approached Ecklie.

"Isn't going too well, is it?" the sheriff insinuated.

The supervisor sighed. "Where's Sara?" he asked.

Now Ecklie looked even less impressed. "Down the hall. Cuffed to a bench."

"Oh…"

"I told you to keep her away from this," Ecklie reiterated. "She will end up getting herself arrested." Russell nodded. He just couldn't argue for his superior was correct. "So what now?" Ecklie asked.

Scratching his head Russell puffed a breath. "We found alcohol at his place, similar to that at Drapers."

The sheriff shook his head. "Don't waste your time, he will deny it just like he's denied everything else. If it's not solid, it's pointless. He's already making a laughing stock out of us."

"Then I think we should hold him," Russell replied. "Until we can confirm he bought the stakes."

"_If you can confirm_…" Ecklie corrected him. It won't happen. Smith will argue harassment and we're falling into that zone now. You're going to have to let him go."

Russell did not look happy. "_We found that stake in his room_."

Ecklie gave him a sad smile. "But you also found several at Tom Drapers which corroborates with what Basderic has said. It's not enough to hold him on. You can accuse someone of being a liar all day but without the evidence to support it, you're stranded."

"Just like Grissom," Russell grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Ecklie said sadly. "There isn't anything I can do and unless you get him to confess right here and now…let him go."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara's eyes were downcast and she stared heavily into the laminate beneath her shoes. She heard someone approaching and slowly looked up when she felt a presence right by her.

Hodges stood in front of her, holding out a paper cup. She could smell it was coffee. He gave her a smile. "Looks like you could use the caffeine," he said softly.

Even though surprised by the offering Sara reached up and took the drink from him. "Thank you," she said quietly.

He nodded and sat beside her, glancing at her cuffed wrist. "Fun night, huh?" he said in jest. She took a sip from the coffee and stared at him. Giving her a weak smile, he sighed. "I wanted to…say sorry…again…" he stuttered a little. "I mean it this time. I feel for anyone going through what you are."

This time Sara believed him even though she didn't really have the energy to think too much about it she offered him a simple nod of acceptance. "I guess you still have nothing on Basderic…" she mumbled. "And I'm presuming because I'm still welded to this bench that no one else does either."

He gave her quite a serious look now, sad and…she couldn't quite make it out. "You know…" He pushed himself up and brushed his hands over his lab coat, "…sometimes we just have to do things our own way. Because that's the only option that's really going to work." He gave her an odd smile and stepped away. "When the evidence isn't there, we have to use our hearts…"

Sara blinked hard, not quite understanding what he was talking about. In fact he hadn't made much sense at all. She took another big glug of coffee. It wasn't great. Lab coffee wasn't the best and this particular cup was quite cold. Cold enough that she'd almost finished it after several more mouthfuls. But, as she drew towards the bottom of the paper vessel, a glimmer caught her eye. She stared into the cup and tilted it until the base revealed itself. Low and behold on the very bottom was a key. A cuff key.

Her head shot up in the direction of Hodges' lab to see him standing in the doorway, looking back at her.

Giving her a smile, he vanished into the room. _'Sometimes we just have to do things our own way…'_

He'd given her a key to the cuffs? Maybe he wasn't such an asshole after all…

But, he knew as well as she that they weren't going to get anywhere in time with the evidence they had. And considering her current situation, she wouldn't be doing much to help the team anymore.

It was up to her. She had to find her husband. And she had to do it now.

Taking the last swig of coffee, she manoeuvred the key into her mouth and waited until she was sure no one was watching . . .

**A/N: Hummmmmm… I think it's time one Sara Sidle did things her own way, don't you? (Hat is nodding btw, he can't wait!) Mwahahah – If you want more… let me know! It's ready… **


	32. I need to do this on my own

**A/N: Well, as promised, a quicker post than usual. The next one is ready too, lol, so how badly do you want THAT one? **

**Time for Sara to get moving I think, get some Sidle ass kicking going on. Well, that's what she's hoping for, whether it pans out that way I just don't know…**

**Thank you for your reviews and thoughts, please keep them coming.**

**Gracious thanks to Calim who rocks again and again. Great beta, girl. Thank you!**

**So let's see if Sara is about to get any closer to finding her man…. **

Chapter 31

Russell re-entered the interview room and took his seat next to Nick. He cleared his throat and glared at the suspect. "You know it's not too late, Ronald. We know you've got Gil Grissom somewhere and if you tell us where, then you won't be facing another murder charge."

Basderic smiled and tilted his head to glance at his attorney. Marshall nodded and pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his briefcase from the floor as he stood.

"This conversation is over," he said. "Come near my client again and you'll be finding yourselves in court."

"Yeah," Basderic said with confidence as he stood. "And that means you get rid of that car that's been following me around. I'm entitled to my privacy."

Nick worked his jaw, faking a laugh and rolling his eyes as he turned to his boss. Russell could do nothing but watch with irritation as Marshall urged his client from the room and out of their grasp.

"Don't leave town," Russell called just before Basderic totally disappeared through the door. Basderic stopped for a second, but that was all. Then he was gone.

Nick threw his arms up. "I can't believe this. We're letting him go?"

Russell flattened a palm against his forehead, fighting off the inevitable headache. "It wasn't my decision. We just don't have enough to hold him."

"Bullshit!" Nick snapped. Russell's head slowly turned to his worker. "This is just…_bullshit_…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The CSI's left the interview room and joined their colleagues. They all watched as Basderic walked down the corridor, free to do whatever he desired.

"I guess I should go break the news to Sara," Russell said quietly.

Brass pointed over his shoulder. "She's down here," he directed.

Ecklie grabbed Russell's arm as he set off. "Bring her to my office," he said. "We need to have a discussion."

"Hey, cut her some slack," Nick butted in gaining an unimpressed glare from Ecklie for his effort.

"I'll cut her more than some slack," the sheriff replied. "And you, too, if you don't watch it."

Nick walked away, shaking his head. "Whatever, man," he grumbled, heading in the direction Brass was pointing.

Russell nodded to his superior and followed Nick down the corridor, Brass and Finn gave chase wanting to be anywhere but where the sheriff was and they all needed direction. Where did they go from there?

As they drew closer to the bench where Sara had been left, Brass's pace quickened and he passed his colleagues when he noticed the seat was empty.

"Oh no…" he mumbled, spotting the cuffs, one half still locked to the furniture. He stopped by the bench and frantically looked up and down the corridor.

The CSI supervisor and his team stood by the captain and Russell shrugged. "Well, _where is she?" _

Brass shook his head. "She _was_ here." He unclipped the cuffs and held them up. "And now she's not…"

"Shit…" Russell mumbled, his own eyes darting up and down the corridor and into every surrounding room he could see into. "Who the hell unlocked her?" he shouted, knowing Sara on the loose was not a good idea. No one offered him an answering though. He looked at his watch, unimpressed. "It's been about twenty minutes since she was left here. She could be anywhere by now."

"Personally…" Nick sighed, "…considering the way she's been treated, I'd say she's long gone. She knew Ecklie was probably gonna fire her or lock her up or something just as ridiculous, so she just didn't hang around." He pulled out his cell. "She isn't gonna sit around any longer, I can bet you money on that one."

Russell bit his lip. "Then we need to find her before she _really_ does something stupid."

Nick pulled up her number and hit call. "We don't have time…" The phone rang but went straight to voicemail. "Sara…you need to come back to the lab, okay?" he began. "We're all on your side here, honey, now don't be going and doing something stupid because you know you'll regret it. Time is short…_you know that_. So get back here and help us. Call me, okay?" He reluctantly hung up.

"Ecklie isn't going to let her help anymore," Finn deduced.

Planting the cell back in his pocket, Nick gave her a mock smile. "I know that but I need to try and get her back here. We have no idea where she's gone."

"She's going to go for Basderic because he _knows_ where Grissom is," Brass said swiftly, his eyes widening. "His car's in the parking lot."

Before anyone else could get another word in, Russell was off in the direction of the exit and everyone quickly followed.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Basderic stood, leaning against his attorney's car, tapping his fingers on the roof. Marshall threw his case into the backseat and closed the door.

"You need to be very careful with what you're doing, Ronald," he advised. "They are trying very hard to get you for this kidnapping and you may find determination can sometimes win the day. They might get something that sticks…"

The younger man gave him a blank look. "They won't make anything stick," he replied with confidence. "I'll be fine. I just want them off my back."

Nodding, the attorney opened the driver's door and slipped behind the wheel. "From now on they should be or the next step is legal action. If you have any more issues you know where I am but it would be nice to get some sleep at some point this week."

Basderic's expression never changed. "That's why you get paid what you do."

"Yeah…" Marshall sighed, "…but it doesn't mean I always love what I have to do or agree with it."

Now the younger man frowned. "Are you getting soft on me, Marshall?" Basderic questioned with a hint of concern.

Marshall looked away and started the engine. "No," he returned. He glanced back at his client. "But I'm nearing my limit. Get some rest, Ronald, and hopefully, I won't be seeing you anytime soon." He pulled the door closed and quickly drove away.

Basderic frowned. Was his attorney feeling a little something he wasn't letting on? A little guilt maybe? He hoped not. Good representation was very hard to come by and Marshall had already helped him get away with first degree murder.

Putting the thought to the back of his mind for now, he walked across the lot to his car. He had more important things to think about like where the hell were his keys?

"Do you enjoy taking pictures of me you son-of-a-bitch!?"

Basderic spun and his eyes widened at the sight of Sara clutching a baseball bat in her hands, fingers gripping so tightly there was a tinge of red around her fingertips. He swallowed hard and stepped back.

"_Do you?" _she repeated fiercely, taking a step closer, the bat swinging menacingly by her side.

Basderic looked around, seeing the numerous cameras on the walls in their immediate vicinity. On the plus side, if she did anything, he'd have proof but on the negative side, he didn't want things this way. If she attacked him, she would surely end up in a cell if caught. That's not what he wanted, not yet anyway.

He was tempted to tease her about the pictures and the possibilities of exactly what he could have done that night she was out of it on painkillers. But, ideally, he didn't want to get pummeled by someone who would now clearly take great pleasure in making him suffer. So that little moment would have to wait.

He stood his ground but made sure he didn't make any sudden moves. "You're not thinking too clearly right now, Sara," he said calmly. "You should back off and get your head straight. That would be best for _you_ and it would most _certainly _be best for your husband…"

Sara's teeth gritted and she growled, literally growled. She pulled the bat back and lunged for him, swinging hard.

Sidestepping, Basderic was quick to duck out of the way as the bat smashed through the driver's window with a crash, imploding the glass and sending slivers flying in all directions.

With spit flying from her mouth, Sara drew the weapon back towards her body and shot him the most loathsome glance she had ever given anyone in her entire life. Her breathing was frantic, her chest rising and falling as if she'd just run the one hundred meter dash. Her anger most certainly clouded any rational thoughts she should be having.

The kidnapper hurriedly skidded along the side of the car, dashing around the front to put some distance between himself and his attacker. "You're making a mistake here," he advised as she moved to her left, tracing his steps.

"The only mistake I made was not shooting you," she snarled.

Basderic continued to take one step back for every step she took forwards. "You think this is going to help you find him?" he laughed.

Sara stopped just before the passenger door. "Oh yeah…" she replied, looking to the front of the car. She pulled the bat back over her shoulder and slammed it through the windshield.

Now Basderic jumped away from the car and looked on in shock. He loved his car and now she'd smashed the windshield out. He needed his damn car!

"Sara!" A voice hollered and the bat welding CSI quickly spun around to see her team dashing towards her.

Swallowing hard, Sara gave Basderic one more glance of malice before she threw the bat at him and ran from the car. She ran fast away from the team, across the parking lot and towards the exit barrier. Nick gave chase as Russell, Brass and Finn came to a halt by Basderic and his wreck of a vehicle.

"Sara, stop!" Nick shouted but he was too far away and she ducked under the exit barrier and out of sight.

Once Nick reached the obstacle he leapt over it and ran into the street. Taking deep, well needed breaths, he thumped his fists to his hips and looked in every direction, spinning around, trying to get a fix on his friend. But, alas, Sara was gone.

"God, damn it!" he yelled before turning back to the parking lot.

The CSI's and Brass stared at Basderic's car and the suspect joined them but, oh boy, did he look pissed off.

"Can you see what she's done to my car?" he growled. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"Are you sure it was Sara?" Brass asked sarcastically.

Basderic glared at him. "You just saw for yourself it was so don't even try and get away with this." He pointed to the cameras. "It's all on tape…"

"Okay…okay…" Russell held up his hands.

"She was trying to kill me," Basderic accused.

"Can you really blame her?" came Nick's voice and the suspect spun to find the younger CSI behind him, looking through the broken windscreen. "Think she got a home run here…"

Shaking his head, Basderic shot his attention back to Russell. "You better do something about this," he spat, pointing a finger at his damaged vehicle. "The point of me bringing my own car was so I could get home as quickly as I could and not have to worry about being transported around by a bunch of clowns. Now what do I do? That CSI of yours needs locking up!"

Brass folded his arms. "Are you pressing charges?" he asked.

Basderic rolled his eyes but he didn't really want Sara in jail. "I don't want to spend another second here if I can help it. Fix my car…_now_….and I will let the matter drop."

Russell's eyes narrowed. Why would Basderic not press charges? "That's very admirable of you, Ronald," he began. "And you _said_ she was trying to kill you…"

"Look, are you going to fix my car or what?" His face contorted with frustration. He really wanted to get back to his plan and get onto the estate.

The supervisor looked to the captain and Brass spoke with a nod. "I'll get it taken to the garage and make it priority. They'll get it sorted right away."

Looking at his watch, Basderic noted the time. "You've got till _10:00am_, then I'll be back to fetch it. That way I can go straight home, pick up Emily, come back and get my car then take her home. I'm pretty certain the estate will be back in our _private_ hands by then. But I'm not happy about having to use a cab again."

Russell looked at his watch, it was _9:15am_. "That's not really enough time, Ronald. You should let a windshield set for at least an hour after replacement and that's once it's been installed."

Basderic huffed. "Fine, whatever. _11:00 am_. Then, I'll be back to collect it. If it's not ready, I'm filing an attempted murder charge. Are we clear?"

Brass gave a mock smile. "I think we're pretty crystal," he retorted.

Shaking his head, Basderic backed away, heading towards the street. "_11:00 am_!" he reiterated on a shout as he walked away.

"He is such an asshole," Nick said as Basderic vanished.

Russell held his hands on top of his head trying to think. Things were just going from bad to worse. "Can you sort the car, Jim, please?" he asked.

"Sure," Brass huffed, pulling out his cell and backing away.

"What do we do now?" Nick asked. "Sara is gone and we have no idea what she's going to do next."

Finn stepped in. "I'm really worried about her. She's totally unstable right now. Might be an idea to put out an APB on her, bring her in…For her own safety and even though I hate that man that's just walked away, for his safety, too." She slipped her hands into her pockets. "Sara will do _anything_ to find her husband right now…"

"Yeah…" Russell agreed on a frustrated whisper, spotting the bat on the ground not so far away. Stepping forward, he picked it up between finger and thumb.

Examining the weapon from top to bottom, he noticed some blood near the base and concluded Sara must have cut herself on the glass during her bout of fury because Basderic didn't look hurt or complain of injury.

"Where did this even come from?" he asked, carefully holding out the bat.

"The locker room," Nick replied. "I'm sure of it because of the brand and the black tape near the bottom. Some of us have a game now and again after work. Although we haven't for a while…" He folded his arms. "So…what's the plan?"

Russell shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "But we need to bag this and treat it as evidence…just in case." Both Finn and Nick looked deflated as the supervisor kept a tender hold on the weapon until it could be processed properly.

"We need to get some guys to the three stores that stock the spikes. We might be able to place Basderic as the buyer," the supervisor offered the only thing he could think of.

Finn shrugged. "But then what? Even if they say it was him."

"Then we need to find a connection between his purchase, Grissom and the spikes found at Drapers."

"Like what?" Nick questioned. "We can't make a match unless we have one of the spikes in Grissom's hands."

Russell puffed out a heavy breath. "I know..."

Nick really didn't look happy. "How the hell are we ever going to convict him of any of this? Maggie Williams…Tom Draper…_Grissom_…We are absolutely nowhere in finding Grissom. Sara is missing… The car which took Grissom was in Sara's name. Her prints were on the divorce paper. The knife used to kill Maggie William's came from Sara's and had hers and Grissom's prints all over it. Our possible main and only witness has the same spikes on his property as well as pictures of our victim and his wife. Plus, he made a so called confession to the kidnapping…"

"Alright…alright…" Russell stopped him but then his eyes worked in circles. "Wait…we still have Joan…"

"But we've spoken to her already, she didn't tell us anything," Nick responded.

Finn rubbed her eyes, yawning. "You think there's something she isn't telling us?"

"She doesn't know her boyfriend is dead yet. Maybe that will jog her memory if she's hiding something especially since we think he's being framed for the kidnapping…"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Sara jumped out of the cab she'd flagged down as she escaped police headquarters, checking all around her as the car pulled away.

It had been just a ten minute ride to her friend's place but she needed to be quick if her plan was going to work. She ran up the path leading to the apartment block and hit the buzzer by the main door.

As she waited she winced, looking down to her left hand. Blood trickled along her pinky finger and to the concrete beneath her feet. A shard of glass had caught her when she'd smashed Basderic's car and the tip of her finger was badly cut. She placed the digit in her mouth and sucked, ringing the buzzer one more time.

"Come on…come on…" she muttered impatiently.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice came.

"Carrie, it's Sara," the CSI announced, pushing the speak button. "Can you let me up?"

"Umm...sure…" Carrie replied on a yawn. "Come on up…"

There was a buzz and the door lock clicked open. Sara checked behind her one more time before entering the building, making sure the door was firmly closed behind her. She ran quickly up to the second floor and down the corridor until she found door _218_. Knocking, she waited and within a few seconds the door opened.

"Hi…" she breathed on a desperate sigh.

Carrie blinked. "Jeez, Sara," she began fastening the belt on her robe. She'd obviously just been woken but knew something was wrong. "You look like hell. What's going on?"

Sara shook her head. "I don't have time to explain, I need to borrow something…"

Carrie stepped aside. "Come in…"

Running her right hand over her neck as she entered, Sara apologized for the intrusion. "I'm sorry if I woke you. I know you work late sometimes…"

Carrie's eyes narrowed at the sight of blood on her friend's hand. Stepping closer, she reached out and grabbed it. "What did you do?"

"It doesn't matter," Sara replied.

"Hmmm…" Carrie released her friend and swiftly vanished into the kitchen.

Sara impatiently looked around the apartment as she waited for her to return. Carrie did so quickly, carrying a small box.

"Sit down…" she instructed.

"Carrie, I really don't have time for this. I need to borrow some of your video equipment and a receiver. And I need it now."

"Sara, I don't know what's going on here, but if you want me to help you, first, you let me strap your finger. You're bleeding all over the place here..." Carrie was firm with her words.

Rolling her eyes, Sara nodded and sat on the sofa. "Okay…" she mumbled in defeat, holding out her hand. Carrie sat beside her and took her hand. The CSI's tired, scared eyes clashed with her friends.

"Are you going to tell me anything?" Carrie asked. "_I know you_ and you know how good I am at realizing things aren't right. Are you in some sort of trouble?" She took some gauze from the box and wrapped it around Sara's finger and the CSI winced as Carrie squeezed hard in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"You could say _some kind_ of trouble," Sara admitted.

Taking a role of medical tape, Carrie strapped the gauze in place. "Are you going to tell me what?"

Sara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Gil's been kidnapped. He's been missing for nearly twenty four hours…"

Carries eyes widened and her glance shot from her task back to her friend. "Are you shitting me?"

Shaking her head, Sara opened her eyes, catching her friends stare again. "He's been tortured, Carrie, he's been hurt so bad…" she said so quietly the younger woman strained to hear her. "The team have nothing on the suspect, no proof anyway, and he's playing with us. He's playing with _me_. He wants to destroy me and I have no doubt I'll be arrested if I go near the lab again…but…I know the bastard's got him. I know it. It's up to me to find my husband now because no one else can…"

Carrie swallowed hard, thinking. "You _know_ who's got him?" Sara nodded. "Who?"

Sara took another breath. "Ronald Basderic."

"Oh my God," Carrie whispered. "_Are you sure_? I thought…he was in jail…"

Checking out her finger, Sara smiled weakly. "He was released this morning just shortly before Gil went missing. Acquitted." She shook her head. "Son-of-a-bitch got away with what he did because of _tainted_ evidence. Now he's out to destroy me and he's trying to do it through Gil." Sara's eyes turned dark, hate filled. She slowly looked up. "I love him so much and…I need the equipment…and I need to go…"

Carrie looked torn. "Sara, you're my friend but I don't know if this is such a good idea. You could get really hurt."

"I'm already hurt," Sara replied. "And Gil has no time left. I do this or he's dead. That's it. Now are you going to help me?"

Taking a deep breath, Carrie nodded. "Okay. I'll give you whatever you need."

Sara almost managed a smile, even if just with relief. "Thank you, but promise me you won't contact anyone about this. This is something I need to do on my own. If they find out where I am, I'll be in a cell and Gil will be gone…"

Standing, Carrie nodded again. "As long as you promise me that you'll be careful and...Don't get yourself killed. Good friends are hard to come by these days."

"I'll do my best," Sara responded on a dry smirk.

"Maybe I can help?" Carrie suggested.

"No," Sara shook her head now. "Thanks, but I don't want to get you involved with this man. He never stops and it's my business. I need to do this on my own."

**A/N: I do love me an angry Sara. But will her anger cloud her judgment? What's her plan? Let's see…. Thoughts please! :P **


	33. Wait and hope

**A/N: I guess my mojo had to evade me at some point and that's what the past week has been like :( And I have a cold. Super boo. Anyway, let's rock and roll! Time to see if we can work out what Sara's plan is…**

**Mucho thanks to Calim for the beta, I bow to you for the help. **

**Hat is drooling BTW! That can't be good.**

**Thanks for the reviews…more = motivation for me to write faster! So keep em coming.**

Chapter 32

Despite spending the past few hours in a cell Joan had lawyered up and, at the request of Russell, she now sat in the interrogation room, her new attorney by her side.

With Finn following him, the supervisor entered the room, noticing how tired and nervous Joan looked. Tossing the file he'd been carrying onto the table, he sat opposite her.

Joan looked to her accusers. "Are you going to charge me with anything?" she asked quietly as Finn took a seat. "I'm going crazy in that cell. I need to know what's going to happen to me…I told you I didn't intentionally do anything…"

Tapping the file on the desk, Russell cleared his throat. "We've got some bad news for you, Joan."

She frowned, looking to each CSI in turn. "What?"

"I'm sorry to tell you but…Tom's dead. I'm very sorry for your loss," the supervisor said softly, giving the standard apology.

Joan laughed. "No you're wrong…" She shook her head. "He can't be…"

She stopped, noting the serious look both CSI's were giving her. Swallowing hard, her face crumpled as she leaned back in her seat, holding a hand to her mouth.

"How can he be dead?" she cried. "I only saw him a few hours ago and he was fine!"

"We found him at home," Finn said.

"But…" Joan shook her head. "How?"

"He was hanging in his bedroom," the female CSI continued.

Now Joan looked really perplexed. "Hanging? What do you mean, _hanging_?" she sobbed.

Russell opened the file and pulled out a photograph of the suicide note. He slid it across the table.

With her hands shaking, Joan picked up the picture and glanced over it. "This can't be…" she whispered. "Are you actually telling me, Tom kidnapped that poor man and killed himself because of it?"

"We don't think he killed himself," the supervisor replied. "We think his death was staged to look like a suicide and we think he is being framed for the kidnapping of Gil Grissom."

Joan wiped a tear from her eye. "I really don't understand what's going on here. Who would want to do that?"

Leaning forwards, Russell entwined his fingers over the desk. "We suspect Ronald Basderic took Gil Grissom and also killed another witness as well as your boyfriend to keep his little secret."

Joan's eyes widened. "No…that's not right. Ronald and Tom have been friends for years. He _wouldn't_ do that…" Russell's brow rose. "_You're serious_, aren't you?" she concluded. The CSI nodded. She shook her head again. "I…" She shrugged now. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say. "Tom's dead," she sniffed. "I can't believe he's gone…or that Ronald would do that…"

"I need you to think, Joan," Russell implored. "Is there anything you haven't told us? Anything at all that could help us get the man who we believe killed your boyfriend?"

Tears came now, and Joan wept, her head bowing as tears ran down her shirt. Her attorney reached into his pocket for a handkerchief. He handed it to her and she quickly took it.

"Thank you," she sniveled, attempting to wipe her tears away. She straightened up and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Everything I know I've already told you. Tom asked me to help him with the car and that's all. _Believe me_, if I knew anymore, I would tell you so you could get whoever has done this."

Russell sighed but he believed her. "Okay…"

"Oh, wait…" Joan cut in. The supervisor and his worker perked up. "I don't know if it will help but Tom did go and see Ronald a couple of times while he was in jail. I don't think it will help but, that's the only other thing I haven't mentioned."

Russell shoulder's dropped. No, that didn't help although it did tell him that Basderic had definitely lied about the last time he saw Draper. "Doesn't really aid us, but thanks."

Joan nodded.

"So, now what, Mr. Russell?" the attorney asked. "My client has been very cooperative and denies knowledge of the kidnapping. Her actions were innocent. Now, you either charge her, release her of her own free will or release her on bail but she isn't spending another second in a cell without a decision."

Scratching the top of his head, Russell stood. "Give me a few minutes," he replied, nodding to Finn. She got the message and followed him from the room.

"What do you want to do?" she asked. "Can we charge her?"

Russell shrugged, working his tongue between his teeth. "An innocent fly caught in a web?"

"It's your call," Finn stated.

"I'm not one hundred percent so let's bail her. Suspicion of fraud pending further investigation. That way if we need to speak to her again we can do so quickly and she can't skip town."

Finn nodded. "I'll go break the news. It's going to take a few hours for the paperwork to get sorted so if anything arises in the meantime, she'll still be here."

Russell gave a nod as Finn re-entered the room. His cell rang and he fished it from his pocket noting the caller ID…Greg…

"Tell me some good news…" the supervisor answered looking at his watch. It was just passed _10:15am_.

Greg sighed. "We're on our way back. We didn't find anything…"

Russell fought his frustration and looked to the floor. "Okay. I'll see you when you get here." He hung up without offering another word to his worker. "Damn it," he muttered knowing everyone would now be pulling out of the estate empty handed.

Sure, things would be brought back for them to analyze but if anything vital had turned up, any lead that would take them Grissom, he would've known about it by now. And the time they had to spend carefully processing was long gone. Puffing out his cheeks, he somberly headed towards his office. He needed to think and he needed to do it fast…

But his cell rang again.

"Yeah?" he asked, not even looking at the caller this time, suspecting it was Ecklie ready to chew him out.

"Russell, I think I've got something from the footage," Archie informed his boss.

The supervisor's eyes widened. Hanging up he rushed down the corridor almost knocking over a Lab Tec as he went. "Sorry," he mumbled as he passed her. Hurrying into the AV room he quickly approached the lab rat tapping at his computer. "What have you got?" he asked with urgency, hovering over the younger man.

Archie pointed at the screen in front of him and to the ventilation unit above Grissom's head. "I spotted something a few minutes ago, behind Grissom." He tapped the monitor with his finger. "You see it?"

Russell leaned in closer to the screen and shrugged. "I see a fan."

The lab rat nodded. "Yeah, you do. I saw the same until I noticed this little speck here…" His finger moved half an inch down, to the base of the mechanical unit. "You see that?"

"I guess," Russell replied, noting a tiny highlighted mark.

"Well…I've just about managed to…" He hit several keys and a box appeared around the area, zooming in on it and increasing the size and quality. "There…"

ASR popped up on the screen as Archie totally boxed in on that tiny area.

Russell frowned. "ASR?" he questioned. "What does that mean?"

Spinning around Archie skidded his chair a few feet to his right to another computer and began tapping away again. Russell followed.

"ASR was a company, _still is_ today, that manufactures nuclear, bomb and underground shelters for the general public. You tell them what you want and they build it for you. They date back all the way to the cold war." He looked over his shoulder to his boss and smiled as the company popped up on the computer. "_Every_ shelter that is made has to be kept on record by law."

The supervisor's mouth popped open as he realized what this meant. "_They made that shelter or bunker that Grissom is in?_"

Archie nodded. "Given the stamp, I'd say so."

"_So they will know where it is_…"

"Exactly. Well…_if_ it's on the Hicks estate they will…"

"I know he's there," Russell growled. "And we can't find him because he's in a damn nuclear bunker, God knows how many feet underground…"

They'd gotten a breakthrough. _Finall_y, they had a breakthrough. Russell slapped Archie firmly on the back.

"Get on the phone and find me that bunker. I'll go get the others to come and assist."

"It might take some time," Archie warned. "Especially being Sunday. Their offices are probably closed."

"Time we don't have but it's all we've got. We need to track these people down. Just do the best you can for now and I'll get some help."

The lab rat gave another enthusiastic nod, spinning in his chair and zooming across the entire room towards the telephone. "You got it!"

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

_10:40am_

Sara was extremely cautious as she returned to LVPD property. She had no doubt that an APB had been put out on her so she did her utmost not to be seen, keeping her head down, staying close to buildings.

Disguised in a scarf and sunglasses, she carried the video equipment Carrie had given her in a large shoulder bag, finding no one was really looking in her direction. Heading around the back of the main building towards the garage, she was thankful mechanics were just mechanics and not privy to police business apart from fixing their vehicles. No one would know her colleagues were looking for her.

Or so she hoped.

She tightly clenched the paper bag she was carrying in her right hand and quickly walked through the open workshop door.

Numerous cars were housed inside. Mainly law enforcement vehicles in need of repair due to an accident or breakdown. She spotted Basderic's car right away. It was right in front of her as she walked in. The windshield had been repaired and it looked like it was ready to be collected.

A clank made her jump. It sounded like a spanner being dropped to the concrete and she swiftly looked to the back of the workshop, spotting someone coming towards her, wiping his hands on a rag in his belt.

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

Sara faked a smile and approached him. "Hey, Charlie," she said pulling the sunglasses from her face and the scarf from her head. "Long time no see."

Charlie smiled back. "Sara Sidle…" he replied. "It has been a while."

The two closed in on each other and she forced herself to offer a broader grin. "Yeah, it has."

He shrugged. "So, what brings you around here? Not often you CSI folk pop in unless you've got something that needs doing."

"Well…I need a favor," she replied.

Charlie folded his arms. "Oh yeah?"

Sara nodded and pointed to Basderic's car. "When that car was brought in were you told anything about it?"

The mechanic shook his head. "Nah. We are never really told anything apart from what the problem is. I was just told to get it fixed and do it quick. So, me and Brian got onto it sharpish and it's all ready for collection."

"Do you mind if I take a look around it? It's for a case. More of curiosity than anything…" His eyes narrowed. Sara held up the bag. "I promise it won't get you in any trouble and… I brought a little bribery. Breakfast burritos, donuts and coffee. Thought you could use the fuel as I'm _presuming_ you haven't had chance to grab breakfast yet if you've been working so hard on that car…"

He snickered and took the bag. "You certainly know how to chat a guy up, don't you?"

"I try," she said on a grin.

"Sure…" he said pointing to the car. "Knock yourself out but be quick. I was told the guy will be here at eleven so you'd better make sure you're not looking around it when he gets here."

She licked her lips. "Oh, I'll make sure I'm all done and out of the way by then."

Giving her another smile he turned and walked towards the office. "Hey, Brian!" he called. "Breakfast's up!"

Sara waited until he vanished into the small room and once she was sure he was out of eye shot, she quickly approached the car. Opening the driver's door, she slipped her bag from her shoulder and placed it on the seat.

Suddenly her cell rang and considering how edgy she was, jumped a little. Rolling her eyes and taking a breath, she pulled out her cell. It was Russell. Knowing time was short, she immediately hit ignore and then turned her phone off. Any interruptions, especially a phone ringing could blow this whole thing.

She knelt on the driver's seat, looking around. Maneuvering herself over the wheel, she twisted to look up behind the sun visor. The gap between the joint and the roof of the car was perfect. With haste she rummaged in the bag and picked out the first tiny cordless camera. Her lips puckered as she concentrated and slipped the camera into the gap above the visor, pointing it forwards so she could see through the windscreen. She tested the visor, opening it and closing it to ensure the camera would not fall out. A tiny smile passed over her lips when it remained solidly fixed in place. One down, two to go.

Next she moved to the back seat and slipped a second camera under the center headrest so she could see inside the car. She doubted anyone would be travelling in the back so she was confident the device would go unseen.

The final camera was for outside and she quickly exited the car, moving to the trunk. Checking around her to ensure she was still alone, she crouched down and placed the last recording device under the back end so it pointed outwards but upwards. It was concealed enough not to be seen unless you were in her position and really, really looking.

Satisfied with the positioning, she took a breath, retrieved her bag and popped the button for the trunk.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the pop, just realizing how difficult the next step was going to be. She closed the car door and moved back to the rear.

She stared at the trunk beckoning before her. Her jaw worked nervously, her hands shaking when they finally slipped inside the gap and lifted it open. Taking a deep breath she stared at the space summoning her and dropped the bag inside. Looking over her shoulder she checked again that no one was watching, taking a small flashlight from her pocket. An unsinkable lump formed in her throat at the thought of what she was about to do. Not since Natalie Davis had she even considered being this close to getting into a car trunk again.

One more heaving breath filled her lungs before she took the leap and crawled inside. At least it smelt clean, more of leather and the adhesive used to fix the windows than anything. Flicking on the flashlight, she grasped the inside bar of the trunk door and sighed. It was now or never.

Pulling the trunk closed, she shuddered. "You can do this…" she mumbled to herself, lying on her side, shinning the flashlight around.

She curled her legs back behind her, the space provided not enough for her to be straight. Now she just had to pray that Basderic didn't open the trunk. If he did, it was surely over.

Taking her weapon from the inside of her jacket, she checked the barrel. She'd already checked it twice, but better safe than sorry. Placing the gun next to her she grabbed the bag and took out the small receiving screen for the cameras. It was roughly the size of a small tablet and was plenty big enough for what she needed. Hitting the on button, the device instantly clicked into action and the view from the first camera Sara had set up popped onto the screen. It was greyscale but it didn't matter. It showed her what she needed to see. She hit the scroll button and the second camera view came up, working perfectly. Same for the third.

So she was all set. Basderic would go to her husband and she was going to be with him all the way.

All she had to do now was wait.

And hope.

**A/N: PS – Grissom will be in the next chapter. How badly do you want it?**


End file.
